Code: MANGORIAN
by Art n' Music
Summary: A new kid comes to Kadic High, and makes friends with the four Lyoko warriors. But A new enemy, bigger than XANA, surfaces, and now the warriors have to team up with a new warrior and unlikely allies to defeat him.
1. Chapter 1: New Warrior

**Chapter 1: New Warrior**

In the city of France, four friends live with a secret. The smartest, Jeremie Belpois, discovered a supercomputer in an abandoned factory. He usually wears a blue shirt with tan jeans, glasses, and is blonde. When he turned it on, he discovered a virtual world called Lyoko, where a girl named Aelita lives. Jeremie also activated a killer program named X.A.N.A. It tries to take over the world, but Jeremie, with the help of Odd Della Robia, Yumi Ishyama, Ulrich Stern, and Aelita, subdued the program and did a 'return to the past'. After that, they became friends and defeated XANA over and over again.

After a while, Jeremie found a way to bring Aelita to their world. She appears wearing a long dark pink dress, and pink jacket with puff balls on the end of the strings, and and knee high boots. She learned quickly, and the attacks from XANA became more frequent. Soon, the program stole Aelita's memory, and can escape to the world. But, the creator of Lyoko, Franz Hopper, saves Aelita and fights XANA back. Later, Jeremie founds a chilling secret from Hopper's diaries. It turns out that Aellita is the daughter of Franz Hopper. She was never an artificial intelligence.

At another time, XANA finally succeeds on one of his plans: To get rid of Lyoko. With the attack free days, Jeremie finally brought back the Carthage, the heart of Lyoko, and is slowly bringing back the sectors. So far, he has brought back the desert section, the forest sector, and the mountain sector.

Right now, Jeremie is busy finding a way to bring the ice sector, and Aelita isn't helping.

"Come on, Jeremie. You should take a break. This is your, what, fiftieth try?" Aelita said, looking up from her book.

Jeremie pounds his keyboard in frustration as a warning sign pops up. "Why should I? I want to get Lyoko back, and This would be a lot faster if you helped me."

The pink-haired girl sighs. "We already have three sectors back, as well as Carthage. A five minute break is not gonna kill you."

"Well, if you think a break isn't fatal, why don't you go ahead and take one?"

Aelita throws he book down. "Maybe I will. Good luck getting the ice sector back." She said in a frustrated tone. She leaves the room, slamming the door behind her. She walks down the hallway, thinking how annoying Jeremie is right now. Aelita walks out the door and heads for a small group standing next to the vending machines. Odd, the blonde haired boy with a purple stripe and purple clothes, spots her. "Hey, Aelita. Get any progress done?"

Aelita ignores him and puts a coin in the machine. Yumi, a Japanese girl with shoulder-length hair and dark clothing, senses something wrong. "Okay, what's wrong now?"

"Jeremie got all worked up because I suggested a small break. And he really needs one."

Ulrich, brown haired and wears a loose shirt, jeans, and a jacket, says, "You're right. He's spending too much time on the computer. He should get out and into the sun every once in a while."

Odd chuckles. "He'll only come out of that room when he gets the ice sector back."

"Well, look who it is. The group of weirdo's."

Everyone turns their head and finds Sissi with her two followers: Herb and Nicholas. Ulrich asks, "What do you want, Sissi?"

"Well, Ulrich dear, I came to see if you wanted to hang out with us instead of with those freaks."

"Hey." Odd said. Ulrich laughs, then says, "Sure I'll hang with you."

Sissi brightens. "Really?"

"Yeah. As soon as I lose all my brain cells and become a big snob." Everyone laughs at his joke. Sissi stomps her feet, then walks away, Nicholas and Herb following her. Yumi says, "Good one, Ulrich."

"Yeah. At first I thought you were serious and was going to leave us." said Odd.

"You think I'll leave you guys and hang out with Sissi? Odd, I thought you knew me better."

Aelita looks at the school grounds, and sees a strange boy walking around. "Hey, guys. Does anyone know who that is?"

Everyone looks t where Aelita is pointing. Odd says, "I have no idea. Maybe he's new here."

The boy vanishes inside a building. Aelita says, "I should get going. I have gym with Jim."

Odd laughs out loud. "That's a good one."

Ulrich and Aelita runs toward P.E. She gets there and changes into her gym clothes. Then, Aelita runs outside with the other kids, waiting for class to start. The girl looks around at her fellow classmates, and sees the boy from earlier. He has dark brown hair, almost black, and seems to be well muscled, and he is wearing a red, baggy shorts and a black shirt with red strips on the sides.

Aelita starts to walk up to him, but the bell rings, and Jim, the PE teacher, walks up yelling, "Alright, class. There is no time to dilly dally." Everyone sits down on the grass as Jim starts calling students. When he's done, Jim says, "Okay, class. Today, we have a new student. Richard Vandelez, please come up."

The boy, Richard gets up and walks next to the teacher. Aelita hears the girls whispering to each other, saying things like, "He's cute." or "I wonder what his phone number is." The boys say things like, "How did he get muscles like those?"

"Alright, settle down. This isn't the cafeteria. Now, Mr. Vandelez, please tell us about yourself."

"Well, I'm part Chinese and I like to draw. When I watch movies, sometimes a do push-up every once in a while, and I play lots a videogames."

"Wow. Well, we're glad you're here with us. Why don't you go sit down, and we'll see what those muscle can do." said Jim.

Richard walks away and sits down next to Aelita. "Hey."

"Hi." Aelita said.

"What's your name?"

"Aelita."

"Nice name. And I like your hair."

"Thanks. Are you always called Richard, or do you have a nickname?"

"You can just call me Rick."

"Okay."

The two go back to paying attention to Jim's rambling about Frisbee. After a while, Rick asks, "Is it okay if I hang with you at lunch?"

"Sure."

Rick smiles. "Great."

"Mr. Vandelez. Could you come up and throw this Frisbee?" Jim asked.

"Sure, Jim." Rick gets up and walks to the teacher. He grabs the Frisbee, and asks, "Do you want the usual throw, or the Olympic throw?"

Jim smiles. "Try the Olympic throw."

Rick gets into the position, spins, and throws the Frisbee. It flies very far, and vanishes into the trees of the forest. Jim whistles. "Wow. That's the farthest throw I've ever seen since teaching here. I have a good feeling about you, kid."

He turns to the class. "Okay, class, I want you to jog as much as you can around the track while I get the Frisbee back." Jim starts to walk toward the forest, while the class runs around.

* * *

Aelita and Rick get their lunch. Rick was telling her all about this videogame he plays, and, the Aelita, it sounds familiar. After they get their lunch, Aelita shows Rick where she sits. She sees her other friends, and, no surprise, Jeremie isn't here. Yumi looks up. "Hey, Aelita."

"Hi guys. This is Rick." said Aelita.

"Hey, Rick. Wanna sit with us?"

"Sure." Rick and Aelita sit with them. Ulrich asks, "So, where're you from?"

"I'm from Las Vegas."

"Really? How much did you gamble?" asked Odd.

Rick chuckles. "I didn't gamble. Gambling is dad's thing. that's why we moved. He was spending too much time with money. But we did get rich fast."

"Cool. How much do you have?" asked Ulrich.

"I have no idea. But I know it's a lot." Rick said.

"Well, who's this cutie?"

Rick turns and sees Sissi. "Why don't you eat with us instead of hanging with the losers?"

Rick smiles. "Why don't you walk out of here, dig a hole, and live in it with all the other brainless?"

"Ohh." Odd said. "You just got burned. Tell me, how does that feel?"

Sissi growls. "Well, go ahead and sit with the rest of the wierdo's." She walks away.

Rick's watch starts beeping, and he looks at it. "Sorry, but I have to go." He grabs his taco and walks out of the cafeteria. Aelita watches him go, and asks, "I wonder where he has to go?"

"Get his lessons from the principal?" suggested Odd.

"I don't think so. He should've got them when he came here." Yumi said.

Ulrich's phone beeps and he answers it. "Hello? Okay. We'll be there. Bye." He hangs up and tells them, "XANA just activated a tower."

Odd gets up from the chair. "well, what are we waiting for? Let's go."

"What about Rick? Should we tell him?" asked Aelita.

"Maybe later, Aelita. Right now, we have to stop XANA." said Yumi. The four rush out and head for the passage to the sewage. They climb down, and Ulrich checks if anyone followed them. Finding no one, he climbs down and follows the others. They all get their rides and skateboard down the sewage. When they get to the end, they scale up the ladder and exit the pipe to find themselves on a bridge. The four friends start to run to the abandoned factory, but they stop when they hear a kind of clickingsound. The four turn and sees one of XANA's monster: the Krab.

"Don't worry, guys. I got this." Odd said. The rest run to the factory and slide down the rope to the elevator.

"Hey, wait up."

Yumi looks up and sees Jeremie sliding down the rope. "How did you get past the crab?"

"Odd distracted it while I snuck around the Krab. But something looks hweird about the Krab." He enters the elevator and pushes the button. The elevator starts to go down, and the heavy doors open to reveal the supercomputer and the hologram disk. Ulrich asks, "How weird?"

'Well, the symbol was different. It had four spikes along the bottom of the eye, and two spikes curve upward to show horns. And the Krab had large spikes along its legs, and can shoot tow beams. Its body was triangular instead of round."

"Looks like XANA upgraded his robots. Maybe now they'll be more challenging."

Jeremie exits the elevator. "Get to the scanners."

"You got it." Said Ulrich, saluting. The doors close, and Aelita, Ulrich, and Yumi head for the scanner room. Jeremie jumps onto the seat and is about to turn on the computer, to find it already on. "That's strange." He types on the computer, which shows cards of Yumi, Ulrich, and Aelita in costumes.

"Transfer Ulrich."

"Transfer Yumi."

"Transfer Aelita."

Computer versions of the friends appear, filling up with green.

"Scanner Ulrich."

"Scanner Yumi."

"Scanner Aelita."

The cards fill up, showing the detail of the costumes. Jeremie presses the enter button, saying, "Virtualization."

In Loyko, forms appear above the sandy terrain. The take form, and Ulrich, Aelita, and Yumi fall on the ground, landing on their feet. Ulrich is wearing a samurai suit with a devil face in the back, and a sword strapped on his side. Yumi is wearing a Japanese dress, with a yellow bow around her waist, and a hair bun fashion. Aelita is wearing a tan suit, with a pink shirt, pink skirt, and has pink stripe going from her eyes down her face, even with her mouth.

"Okay, Jeremie, where to?" Ulrich asked.

"The activated tower is due north, northeast."

"Thanks."

"And here are you ride." Jeremie types, and a shape appears in a form of a one wheel bike and a hover board. They form, and Ulrich jumps on the bike, and Yumi and Aelita takes the hoverboard. The three friends ride in a direction. Ulrich looks around, and asks, "Do you see any monsters, Jeremie?"

"No. None in sight." said Jeremie. Suddenly, three red dots appear, surrounding the group. "Wait. Three enemies are in front of you."

"Yeah. We see them." Ulrich said. He unsheathes his sword, and Yumi takes out her fans. The samurai jumps up and lets his cycle drive into one of the crabs. He smiles, but it vanishes when he sees the crab not even phased. "What?"

One crab shoots, and Yumi and Aelita jump off before the beam destroys the board. Yumi throws her fans, and they cut on the eye symbol. But instead of breaking into a million pieces, the cut seals itself. "Uh, Jeremie, there's something wrong."

"I know. There is something different about these Krabs."

"Yeah. And they look like the Krab you described." said Ulrich. He runs to a Krab and jumps on top of him. The samurai thrusts his sword into the eye, a fatal attack. He takes it out and jumps off, expecting the Krab to bow up, but it shoots at him.

Jeremie says, "Ulrich, you just lost 80 life points already."

"How?"

"I don't know. Whatever XANA did to them, it made them powerful."

Yumi jumps over a beam that was heading for her. Aelita throws an energy sphere at it, shocking it. But soon, it gets under control and starts to fire. She avoids it, but one ray blasts her. She falls back, and the Krab walks to her. She fires more spheres, but the Krab avoids all of them. Aelita looks around for help, but she sees Yumi and Ulrich handling their own Krabs. The Krab starts to power up, and Aelita closes her eyes, ready for impact. The Krab fires, and a figure jumps up and lands in front of the beam. He reflects it back, and the beam hits the owner, and it explodes. Aelita opens her eyes, and sees a black and red clad boy with two swords on his back, and lots of gizmos around his waist.

"Who are-" before she finishes, the person jumps and lands on another Krab. He thrusts his sword into the symbol, and power surges down the sword. He jumps, and the Krab explodes behind him. He runs at the last Krab and blocks a beam that was heading for Yumi. The person sprints to its legs, and cuts them off. As the Krab's body falls, the person drives his sword into the underbelly. He throws it into the air, where it explodes, and displaying wonderful fireworks. Ulrich, wide mouth, walks to him. "Wow, man. You're like a ninja."

The ninja looks at the group, then sprints away at super speed. "Jeez. He's faster than me."

"Who is he?" asked Yumi.

Jeremie says, "I don't know, but he can be a great alley."

"Unless he's XANA."

Aelita walks to the group. "I don't think so."

"Well, let's head for tower." Yumi said. They all run toward the tower and Aelita sees that the ninja ran this way. When they get to the tower, the first thing the group notices that the tower is glowing black. "Isn't XANA's activated tower supposed to be glowing red?" asked Ulrich.

Yumi says, "Yeah. Something is wrong here."

"Look. It's the ninja." Aelita points out. Everyone sees the red and black person fighting Megatanks. Except these Megatanks had spikes all over the body, and their rays are black. Their symbol is the same as on the Krabs, and Ulrich sees about four of them. "Man. This is going to be tough."

"Doesn't look tough to him."

They watch as the ninja jumps into the middle of the group. The four Tanks face him and charge up. They fire, and the ninja unsheathe his two swords. He blocks two rays with one sword, but the force is making him lose strength. Ulrich was about to help, but the ninja starts climbing up the beams, and jumps up. Before he falls on the rays, a board-like image appears, and takes form, the ninja landing on it. Unlike Odd's board, it is black outlined with red, and the symbol on the top of the board is the eye with two lines on the bottom, intertwining down the board, and three lines ending in spikes. He flies around the Megatanks, which fires at him, but misses. He grabs a throwing star-like weapon, and throws it at a Tank. The star splits into four, and each dig itself into a Megatank. They all explode, and the ninja lands on the ground, picking up one star, and three fly to the first and merge back to one.

"Whoa. I need something like that." Ulrich said. "Hey, Jeremie, do you think you can make something like his weapon?"

"I'm sorry, Ulrich, but I scanned his weapon and it's more high tech than anything I can make."

"Ah, man."

Aelita runs to the tower. The ninja walks to the tower and phases through it. _What?_ Thought Aelita, confused. She runs into the tower and the symbol light up, one ring at a time. She floats to the top level to find it is already taken. The ninja touches the screen in the middle of the level, and a name appears: Black Shadow. The word: code appears, and Lyoko X appears beneath it. The tower deactivates, the black mist turning back to a light blue.

"Good job, Aelita." Jeremie said.

"But, I didn't do it."

The ninja turns, and Aelita can see his green eyes. She is frozen, afraid of what he's going to do. The ninja says, "Tell your friends that Black Shadow's got your back." He jumps down and runs out of the tower. Aelita is speechless. She exits the tower and walk back to the group.

Yumi asks, "Did you see the ninja?"

"Yeah. He gave me a message."

"What is it?" asked Ulrich.

"He says 'Black Shadow's got your back'."

"Hmm. Sounds like an ally. I wonder if he can tell me where he got the weapons."


	2. Chapter 2: Finding Secrets

**Chapter 2: Finding Secrets**

Back at the school, Odd, Aelita, Yumi, Rick, and Ulrich are in Jeremie's room, waiting for any news from Einstein. Ulrich asks, "Did you find anything about our mystery warrior, Black Shadow?"

Jeremie says, "No. And I even went through the classified files."

"Why would you look in the classified files?" asked Rick.

"You never know. Maybe Black Shadow is something the military made."

"Well, maybe we should start thinking inside the box." suggested Odd.

Suddenly, a grumbling is heard. Jeremie asks, "Odd, are you already starving? It's only 8:00."

"That wasn't me this time." said Odd.

"Sorry, guys, but that was me." Rick said. "I skipped breakfast this morning."

"Oh." Jeremie goes back to his computer when the bell rings. Everyone says walks out of Jeremie's room, saying their byes. When Aelita leaves, Jeremie tries a method, and something pops on his screen. "Huh? What's this?"

He opens it up, and different files pop up. Jeremie clicks on one, and starts reading, his eyes slowly growing. _Whoa. __Wait__ '__till __I __tell __my __friends._

* * *

At lunch, Rick was telling his friends what his mom does. Odd asks, "So your mom is a videogame designer?"

"Yep. Some of the games you play were made by her."

"That must be cool." Ulrich said. "Do you get free access to the new games?"

"That's the fun of it."

Odd says, "Sweet!"

"And through my mom's training, I'm pretty good on a computer." said Rick.

Yumi says, "Well, maybe you can help Einstein to find Black Shadow."

"Maybe, but first, who is this Black Shadow, anyway? Is he a terrorist or something?"

The four look at each other. Ulrich says, "Well…not exactly a terrorist. More like a helper in secret."

"Helper?" Rick asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Look, Rick, it's a little hard to explain." said Aelita. Her phone beeped, and she looks at it to find a message from Jeremie. She looks at the message, and says, "Sorry, but I have to go. I'll see you at class." Aelita gets up, and throws her trash away, then leaves. The bell rings, and the four friends head for class.

In Jeremie's room, Aelita asks, "So what is this big news you have?"

Jeremie, a little jittery, says, "Well, I accidently came upon some forgotten files, and I opened one to see if it had anything about Black Shadow. But, instead, I found that Franz Hopper didn't create Lyoko by himself."

"What?"

"Yeah. I know. And you can never guess who the helper was." Jeremie stops for effect. Aelita, getting a little impatient, asks, "Who is it? Spit it out!"

"Okay. The helper's name is Christopher Vandelez!"

Aelita is confused at his excitement, but she soon realizes. "You mean…"

"Yes. Rick Vandelez is the son of the creator of Lyoko! Can you believe it?"

"No. I can't. How can Rick be…? I mean, he said his father is a gambler."

"What if he lied?" Jeremie asked.

"Why would he lie? Isn't he proud of his father creating Lyoko?"

"Why are you asking me? Why don't you ask Rick?"

"Sure, I'll ask him. When the time comes."

Jeremie, confused, asks, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, is that he probably lied for a reason. Maybe something from his past."

"Okay, but I'm going to ask him if you aren't going to." Jeremie gets up and starts to walk out, but Aelita stops him. "Wait."

He stops. "Why?"

"Well, maybe we should wait, until the time comes."

Jeremie sighs, then says, "Okay. But if he finds the supercomputer, I'm not holding back." He exits; heading for P.E. Aelita waits, then heads for science class.

* * *

At the cafeteria, again, Yumi and Odd wait for Ulrich, Jeremie, Aelita, and Rick. Odd spots the Jeremie and Ulrich and Yumi spots Aelita. When they get to their table, Yumi ask, "Hey, Aelita, do you know where Rick is?"

"He had to stay because Rick answered a question that no one answered in five years." Aelita answers.

"For some reason that doesn't surprise me." said Jeremie.

Ulrich asks, "What do you mean by that?"

Einstein was about to answer, but Aelita gives him a warning look, making him close his mouth. He says, "Well, being a son of a videogame designer is probably very smart."

Suddenly, a beeping is heard coming from Jeremie's pack. He takes his laptop out and opens it. "Uh oh."

"Another XANA attack?" Yumi guesses.

"Yep. Coming from the forest sector. Let's move."

They all get up and start running for the forest. The five find the metal circle that leads to the sewage, and they head for the lab. When they get there, Jeremie walks to the supercomputer, and Yumi, Ulrich, Aelita, and Odd head for the scanners. They Odd and Aelita enter first, then Yumi and Ulrich. After being virtualized, Jeremie creates the vehicles and they ride toward the activated tower. The first one to see it is Odd. "There, but something seems weird about it."

"Is it glowing black?" guessed Ulrich.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Out last trip brought us to a black tower, as well as Black Shadow."

"Man. Why do I miss the really good trips?"

"I wonder if I should tell you that XANA's monsters are different too." Yumi said.

"How different, besides the looks?" asked Odd.

"Way more powerful."

Odd smiles. "Then this should be fun, because I see a couple of Tarantula's."

"How many? Because if it's more than two, I don't wanna know." Ulrich said.

"Okay, than you won't know."

"Great."

The group proceeds to the tower, getting ready for the battle. When they stop, they see black Shadow acrobatically dodging the beams from the Tarantulas. Unlike the usual Tarantulas, these have eight leg-guns, and are a lot bigger, with spikes running down their backs and legs.

"Great. Ultimate Tarantulas. And I'm guessing the ninja is black Shadow." said Odd.

"Yep. That's him." Aelita said.

"Man, he's good. Better than you, Ulrich."

They continue riding to the battle, and Odd fires some Laser arrows at one Tarantulas. Unfortunately, the creeper turns and starts firing at him with the four front legs. More than once, a beam almost hit Odd, and his luck is quickly depleting. The Tarantula fires and Odd pushes Aelita off before the beam got him. He devirtualizes, and appears back in the scanner. The cat walks to the elevator and heads for the supercomputer.

"Man, those Tarantulas are more powerful than I thought."

"I know." Jeremie said. "They devirtualized you with one hit. That has never happened before."

"Hopefully, the others are having better luck than I had."

Back in Lyoko, The warriors are fighting for their lives. Ulrich is dodging more instead of fighting, and Yumi is hiding behind a tree, trying to find an opening. Aelita shoots field after field, but the Tarantula is swift. It brings its four legs together, and fires a mega blast. The beam heads for Aelita, and before she could move, someone pushes her away and takes the blast. The warrior looks up and sees black Shadow on the ground, clutching his chest. The Tarantula charges his leg-gun, and Aelita shoots an energy field at it. The field hits dead center of the target, making it falter, but not destroyed. It looks at Aelita, and is about to swipe her with its claws, but the black and red ninja jumps and digs his sword into the target. The sword glows, and Black Shadow jumps before the Tarantula explodes. He lands next to Aelita and helps her up. "You okay."

"Yeah, but how are you not devirtualized? That blast should've killed you."

"Maybe to you, but I have more heath points."

"Oh. Then, thank you."

"No prob." Black Shadow sprints to Ulrich, who just lost his sword. The Tarantula fires at him, but the ninja gets in front of the beams and blocks all of them. Ulrich stares at him in amazement. "Who are you?"

Instead of answering him, black shadow gives him the throwing star. Here. Try this."

Ulrich takes the star, and the black ninja runs toward the last Tarantula. Ulrich looks at his Tarantula and throws the throwing star at it. It splits into four and all head for the creeper. The Tarantula fires at two of them hits the target, and the Tarantula blows up. Ulrich walks to what's left of the creeper, and picks up a throwing star, the other one merging into one.

"Cool." He said, smiling.

Yumi throws one of her fans, but the Tarantula blast it away. He continues to fire at the rock, but stops when something taps him on the shoulder. It turns to see the ninja. "Hi. I'm Black Shadow. What's your name?"

The Tarantula considers on what to do, and while it thinks, the ninja places his hand on its head, and the Tarantula starts to glow. When he takes his hand away, the glow vanishes, and the Tarantula stands there.

"Go jump off a cliff." the ninja orders. The Tarantula walks to the edge of the ground, and jumps down. A blue beams shoots to the sky and fades. Black Shadow starts to walk away, but Ulrich grabs his shoulder, making him stop. "Hold it. We want answers."

The ninja looks at him, then says, "Sure. Right after I deactivate the tower."

Ulrich raises an eyebrow. "You? Only Aelita can deactivate the towers."

"Yeah, when XANA activates it."

Everyone is stunned. Using this time, Black Shadow uses his super sprint and runs into the tower. "Hey!" exclaims Ulrich. Aelita follows the ninja to the tower. Before she enters it, the black glow turns blue, and the ninja walks out. Everyone is, again, stunned by his performance. Black Shadow asks, "Are you going to stare at me, or do you want answers?"

Yumi is the first to get her senses back. "Yeah, we want answers."

"Okay, ask away. But, to warn you, some questions will be answered in due time."

Ulrich says, "Okay, first question. Who are you?"

"In due time. Next?"

"What did you mean when only you can deactivate it?" asked Yumi.

Black Shadow answers, "Well, you're all used to XANA attacking, right?"

Everyone says, "Yeah."

"But this isn't XANA. Did you notice that the tower was black, not red?"

"Yes."

"Well, the tower I deactivated was being controlled by a program named MANGORIAN."

"MANGORIAN?" asked Aelita.

"Yes. Much more powerful than XANA. He was neutralized for a while by his creator."

Jeremie asks, "You mean Franz Hopper?"

"No. the creator is his friend. Chris Vandelez."

"What? You mean to say that Franz Hopper had help creating Lyoko?" Yumi asked.

"Yes. They created the first program: MANGORIAN. But it soon got a mind of its own, and started attacking. Franz Hoper finally shut the program down, but Chris wasn't so lucky. He died by a power cable being controlled by the killer program. Afterwards, Franz continued his research, and created XANA, making sure there are no bugs in its system."

Ulrich says, "Well, looks like he missed one bug, because XANA is back with an evil side and no good."

"No. he's doing his job."

"What? He is trying to take over the world and kill us. Is that his job?" Yumi asked.

"His job is to keep from MANGORIAN from ever waking up, and XANA was afraid that you would activate him. So, he tried to get rid of the threat."

"Okay. XANA was secretly being the good guy and tried to get rid of us because he was afraid we would wake up the big bad guy. A little hard to believe, if you ask me." Yumi said.

"I just have one more question. Where did you get those throwing stars? Those are awesome."

"You can have them when you learn how to throw like a ninja." Black Shadow said.

"And how do you throw like a ninja?"

"With great accuracy."

"Okay, so I'll just practice my throwing." Ulrich said. Suddenly, he gets blasted from behind and gets devirtualized.

"Ulrich!" yells Yumi. Black Shadow unsheathes his swords and look in the direction the ray came. "Great. MANGORIAN sent his big, nasty creatures."

The two girls look and see creatures that look like sharks with legs. They have three sets of spikes on their backs and large shoulder guns. Aelita says, "Those are new."

Yumi readies her fans, and Aelita create her energy fields. The sharks start shooting, and the three warriors block the shots, and they shoot at them. Black Shadow sprint to them and sarts slashing at the leader. It roars and swipes the ninja with his claws. Black Shadow flies and lands next to Aelita. He clutches his head, and takes his mask off to reveal long, black hair, tan face, and blue eyes. His face is scratched, but soon the scars fade, leaving his face unmarked. He gets up and throws his throwing stars at a couple of sharks. Aelita looks at him, and asks, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Look out!"

Aelita turns and sees a shark shooting at her. Black Shadow pushes her out of the way and blocks the shots. The sharks in the back reveal their wings and fly over them. They land behind the warriors, surrounding them. The three go back to back, looking at the sharks. Yumi says, "We could use some of that ninja power right now."

"Yeah. As soon as I can split myself into five."

"Ulrich can do that."

"See? I don't get all the cool stuff."

The sharks power their guns, and are about to shoot when something huge drops from the sky. Three Krabs surround the group, and Yumi says, "Great. Just what we need."

"Hold on, Yumi. I don't think they're here for us."

The Krabs face the sharks and start firing at them, catching five of by surprise. The rest of the sharks snapped out of their surprise, and start shooting back. They destroy tow of the Krabs, when a ray from behind the sharks destroys lots of them. A Megatank rolls across the sharks, destroying them. They watch in amazement as their enemy fights back the enemy.

"Wow. I could never imagine XANA helping us." Yumi said.

One Krab nudges Black shadow, and he turns around. The Krab leans down, signaling to get on them. Black Shadow says, "Hey, everyone, get on the Krab."

Yumi looks at him, and asks, "Are you sure?"

Aelita climbs up, and the ninja hops onto its back. "Do you want to live?"

Yumi considers it, then climbs aboard the Krab. It gets up and starts running toward a group of sharks, shooting at them. The warriors help by shooting at them, too. The sharks' form a wall to stop the Krab, but it jumps over it, and continues running. When they get to a safe distance, the Krab stops and the warriors jump off of him. Yumi says, "Uh…thanks?"

The Krab bows and walks back to the fight. Aelita says, "Wow. Is it me, or was that a little cool?"

"I thought it was cool. And It looks like that MANGORIAN is starting to get anxious." said Black Shadow.

"Okay. Now we need to get out of here. Hey, Jeremie, you can devirtualize us now." Yumi calls.

No answer comes. Yumi, confused, calls again, "Jeremie, are you their?"

Somebody answers, bu instead of Jeremie, it's Odd. "Sorry guys, but a couple wires came alive and are attacking us, and we are not doing so well on this side."

"So a tower has been activated?" asked Aelita.

"It looks like so. Could you find it before we become-ahh." Odd is pushed off the computer by a cord. Yumi says, "Great. That rescuing was just a trick so we don't suspect XANA to strike."

"I don't think its XANA. Look." Black Shadow point in a direction, and Yumi and Aelita look to see a tower glowing black. "I take that back." Yumi said.

They start running toward the tower, but stop when they see spiked Megatanks guarding it.

"Great. Got any plans, ninja?" asked Yumi.

Black shadow look up to see XANA's Megatanks forming. "Yeah. XANA distracts the tanks while I shut the tower down."

The Megatanks start attacking the supertanks, and Black Shadow creates his board, and flies around the fight. He enters the tower and goes to the second level. When Black Shadow gets there, he hops off his board and places his hand on the screen. The words BLACK SHADOW appear, then the word code. He puts in LYOKO X, and the tower deactivates.

Bak in the lab, the large cords fall down, and Jeremie, Odd, and Ulrich finally breathes. Jeremie walks to the computer and says, "Good job."

"Thank Black Shadow. He was the one that deactivated the tower." said Aelita.

The ninja flies out, and says, "I see you guys later." He then soars away, and Jeremie devirtualize the girls. They head for the lab and Aelita asks, "Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah. Just a couple of burns. Nothing big." said Odd. "How about you?"

"great. If you don't count me seeing XANA save us." Yumi said.

Jeremie says, "And it looks like we have a bigger enemy to face."

"Well, let's get back the teachers are probably wondering where we are." said Ulrich.

They head back to school, but they don't see a pair of red eyes watching them.

_Well, so they know who I am. But soon, they will all fall, including that Black Shadow._


	3. Chapter 3: Mangor

**Chapter 3: Mangor**

_Aelita walks through the dark. Suddenly, everything brightens to reveal her town, and a towering monster. The monster is dark red, with horns and spikes on his tail. His wings spread, making him look bigger, and he smiles, showing rows of sharp teeth. His eyes are pure black, as well as his claws on his hands and feet._

"_Soon, Aelita, you shall feel sorrow like never before."_

_Aelita starts running away from him, but soon the darkness surrounds her, and she starts falling into the dark abyss…_

Aelita wakes up, screaming. She calms down, cold sweat running down her face. "That has got to be my scariest dream ever."

She looks at her clock. _Probably a good time to take a shower. _Aelita gets up and grabs her stuff, then heads for the bathroom. Finding no line, she enters and heads for the showers.

When Aelita's done, she walks down the hallway and exits the building. Fog still hangs around as the pink-haired girl walks around, enjoying the coolness. She heads for the forest, trying to clear her head. Aelita stops and leans against a tree. She recalls the adventure with Black Shadow. And MANGORIAN's machines. Compare them with XANA's robots, they are pretty much unstoppable.

"Couldn't sleep either?"

Aelita jumps, clutching her heart, and turns to see Rick lying on a branch.

"Rick, you almost gave me a heart attack."

Rick jumps off the tree, landing on his feet. "Sorry about that."

When Aelita's heart calms down, she asks, "What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I should ask you the same question."

Aelita sits on the ground, her back against a tree. "I had a nightmare."

"Well, everyone does get nightmares every once in a while." Rick said.

"Problem is, they seem real, like visions."

Rick jumps and grabs a branch. He pushes himself up and sits on the branch. Aelita watches him, then asks, "Why do you climb up a tree?"

"For some reason, high places clear my head faster. And trees are a good place to watch the sunrise."

"Really?" asked Aelita.

"Yeah. Wanna see?"

Aelita nods. She gets up and walks to the tree Rick is in, and he helps her up the tree. She sits on a branch next to Rick, and looks up to the sky. "Wow. You're right."

"Yeah. So what do you mean your dreams are like visions?" asked Rick.

Aelita's eyes fall away from the beautiful sky. "Well, the dreams I've been having are from my past. And not the good past."

"Did you run into a pack of wolves?" Rick guessed.

"No. Did you?"

"Uh…maybe."

Aelita chuckles. "What happened?"

Rick says, "I found a cave, and a pup followed me home. The mommy thought I was stealing her, when I was trying to get her back to her pack. Now that I think of it, the pup probably smelled my sandwich."

Aelita laughs, and starts to fall. Rick quickly grabs her arm, and pulls her back up. "that was close."

"Yeah. I should be a little more careful."

Rick hears a soft rustling. He looks in the direction, and sees a bush moving slightly. Rick jumps down, landing softly, and starts walking toward the bush.

"Rick, what-" asked Aelita.

Rick turns and puts his finger in front of his mouth, signaling to be quiet. He continues walking toward the bush, and when he gets close, Rick quickly grabs the person and throws the person out of the bush and traps her in a painful grip. Rick sees that the sneak is Sissi.

"Sissi? What are you doing here?"

"Uh, well, I heard someone walking out, so I followed to see who it was. What a coincidence." Sissi said, chuckling nervously. "Could you let go of me before my arm breaks?"

Rick lets go, and Aelita swings down the branch, and lands on her feet. Rick asks, "You sure it was someone walking out, or are you spying?"

"Me, spying? Why would you think of something like that?"

"It's not the first time." said Aelita.

"Hey, stay out of this, freak."

Rick says, "Don't call her a freak. She's as much of a person as you are."

"Oh, yeah? Did you know that she and her little group always sneak out of class? For all I know, she could be part of a group of terrorist."

"Okay, now you're just thinking crazy."

"Am I, Rick?" asked Sissi. "How do you know? You've only been here a couple of days."

"Yeah, long enough to know Aelita, or any one of her friends, would never join a terrorist group. Now, I suggest walking back to the school."

Sissi growls, then walks toward the school. When she vanishes, Rick says, " I should get going. Don't wanna be late for school."

"I should get going, too."

"Okay. See ya." Rick walks back to his dorm room, and Aelita walks to the cafeteria.

* * *

Ulrich, Aelita, Odd, and Yumi run to the factory after Jeremie warned them of the XANA attack, or MANGORIAN attack. When they get there, they find Jeremie already there.

"Go to the scanners. Black Shadow is already waiting for you." he said.

"How do you know?" asked Ulrich.

"Because I talked to him." Black Shadows voice calls from the computer. "Now hurry up, or you'll miss the party."

The four head for the scanners, and are virtualized into Lyoko's mountain sector. They find the ninja leaning against a mountain. "Finally."

"Hey, unlike you, who live in Lyoko, we have to travel from our school to here." Ulrich said.

"If you guys are done, I'm sending your vehicles." said Jeremie. The vehicles appear, and the group gets on theirs, Black Shadow creating his black and red board, and they head for the tower.

Yumi says, "So, if you're here, I'm guessing MANGORIAN is attacking?"

"Yep. I don't know why, but the faster we deactivate the tower, the better."

They ride around a mountain, and see a black glowing tower surrounded by Mohawk bugs. Odd says, "Great. Ultimate Kankrelats. This should be easy."

"Don't underestimate them. You never know what they might be hiding." said the ninja. He grabs his swords, and Ulrich unsheathe his sword.

"Wait. Don't we need a plan?" asked Yumi.

Black Shadow says, "I always have a plan. Destroy as many bots as I can."

"That's not exactly a plan."

"Oh well." The ninja speeds toward the robots, which has started shooting. The group dodges the beams, and attacks. Ulrich jumps off his cycle and lands behind a Kankrelat. He is about to slice it in half, when the back opens up to reveal a gun. It shoots Ulrich back, and turns and starts shooting at the samurai. He blocks the beams with his sword, but he knows he won't last any longer. Black Shadow jumps behind the robot and grabs its legs. He swings it around, and throws it at another Kankrelat, and both explode.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Yumi throws her fans at a Kankrelat, but it jumps over it. Before it lands back, Aelita throws an energy field at it, and the Kankrelat falls off the edge of the ground. Odd shoots down three Kankrelats in a row, and Ulrich used his triplicate to take out three more. Black Shadow finishes off the rest, then heads for tower. He enters it and floats to the second level. The ninja walks to the middle, but before he touches the screen, he says, "I know you're there, Aelita."

Aelita walks to the center and stands next to Black Shadow. "Sorry, but I want to see the code you use."

"Okay." Black ninja places his hand onto the screen and his name appears. Before the ninja puts the code in, the tower deactivates. He is confused, and says, "what the…"

"What happened?" Aelita asked.

"I don't know, but we should see if anything happened outside." The two head for the exit, and walks back to the group. Yumi asks, "What happened?"

"The tower deactivated for some reason."

"Maybe MANGORIAN called off his attack?" guessed Odd.

Black Shadow senses something, and he leans to the ground, feeling the rumbles. Ulrich asks, "Shadow, is something wrong?"

He gets up, and says, "I think we're going to have company."

"That doesn't sound good." Yumi says. "Jeremie, do you see anything?"

"Yes. And it's a lot. I suggest getting out of there."

"Jeremie, just devirtualize us." Ulrich said.

"Hold on. I want to check this out." said Black Shadow. "Jeremie, where's the big crowd?"

"About north from your position. You're not really going to-"

"Yeah. I'm going to." The ninja starts running north using his super sprint.

"Great. Ulrich, can you…?" Yumi said.

"You got it." Ulrich uses his super sprint, and follows Shadow. He finds the ninja crouching behind a rock. "Are you crazy?"

Black Shadow looks at him. "You could say that."

"Oh, man. You're reminding me of a friend back at home."

"Shh. I see them." The two look over the rock, and see a large army of Supertanks, Spikrelats, Widows, Super Krabs, and Sharks. On top of one of the largest Krabs, is a person with long, crimson red hair, muscular, and feet and hands that are claws.

Ulrich asks, "Do you know who that is?"

"I've never seen him."

"Well, he looks like bad news."

Shadow looks at him. "What gave it away? The large army of baddies or his claws?" He looks back at the army, and sees the crowd spreading. A couple of snake-headed freaks push some people on the floor. One is a Chinese girl, one has pink hair, and the other looks like a purple cat.

"He's got our friends." Whispered Ulrich.

"Gee, thank you, Mr. Obvious."

"We need to get closer. Got anything about invisiblility?"

"No, but I can program it on us."

"How are you going to do that?"

Black Shadow creates a screen and start typing and moving stuff around. Soon, he presses a button, and the two vanish. "Whoa. How'd you do that?"

"Maybe another time. C'mon. I created my board."

"Where is it?" Ulrich asked. Suddenly, he feels being lifted, then his feet touch something solid and moving. Black Shadow jumps on the board and says, "Hold on."

They start flying toward the group, as quiet as shadows, and float above the small gathering. They listen as the mysterious person talks.

"Well, what do we have here? According to my senses, these programs are humans. I haven't seen a human in a long time."

"Who are you?" Odd asked.

"Guess."

"Philip?" Yumi guessed.

"No. Try again."

"A program?"

"Well, yeah, but I do have a name."

"Xana?" Aelita presumes.

The mysterious person jumps off the Krab and grabs Aelita's neck at superhuman speed. "Don't you DARE call me by that despicable program!"

"Let go of her. You wanted us to guess your name." Odd said.

The person looks at Odd, not letting go of Aelita's neck. "I know. But I think it's an insult calling me that."

"Okay. We get it. Now let go of Aelita."

The person throws Aelita back, but Yumi caught her. "There. I let her go. You happy?"

"Just tell us what your name is."

The person chuckles. "Very well, if you really want to know. I am Mangor."

Yumi asks, "Mangor? As in Mangorian?"

"Yes, but that is my program name. In this form, I am known as Mangor."

"Why not Ryan? It sounds more human." said Odd. Mangor punches him to a wall. Yumi yells, "Leave him alone!"

"Shouldn't we help them?" Ulrich asked.

Black Shadow looks around, and sees a dark mist. The dark mist seems to be motioning for him to come over. "Hold on. I need to check something."

"You can check it when we save our friends."

"Just wait." Shadow flies to the mist, which is floating on a rock lower from the floating ground. Shadow lands next to it and makes him and Ulrich reappear. Ulrich takes a closer look at the mist, then jumps back. "You!"

Shadow clamps his mouth shut, whispering, "Do you want that army finding us?"

"But that's XANA."

"Okay. It's the program you think is evil."

"It **is **evil."

The mist shakes its head. Ulrich asks, "What?"

The mist points to Black Shadow, then points to Ulrich. Confused, Shadow asks, "Are you trying to say something?"

It nods, then points to Ulrich again. "You want to possess him?"

Ulrich immediately shakes his head. "No way. I am not being possessed."

The mist shakes its head. It floats to Ulrich, and touches his body. Ulrich feels a chill on his chest.

Shadow guesses, "you want a body?"

It nods. "Okay." Black Shadow creates a screen and starts typing. Soon, the mist glows, then the glow vanishes, revealing another Ulrich. Ulrich asks, "Why me? Why not Odd, or you?"

"I just picked a body, so deal with it. What do you want to say, XANA?"

"I was going to ask if you want some help from me." The clone Ulrich said in a deep voice.

Ulrich says, "Why should we let you help us? As I recall, you tried to kill me and my friends about a hundred times."

"I'm sorry. I thought you'll unleash Mangor if you kept meddling around here."

"So, you're saying we woke him up?"

"No. Mangor reactivated by itself. I tried to stop him, but he's too powerful. So powerful, he created a body of his own."

"Is there any way to stop him?" Black Shadow asked.

"There must be. If we don't find it, then Lyoko and your planet will be doomed."

"Great. But first things first. We need to save Odd, Yumi, and Aelita." Ulrich said.

"I agree. How does a sneak attack sound?" suggested XANA.

"Sounds like my kind of plan." said Shadow. He makes Ulrich and himself invisible again, and flies back to the group. They see that Mangor is trying to get something out of Yumi. "Now I ask again. Where is Black Shadow?"

"We don't know where he is. The last time I saw him, he was running to check something." Yumi said.

Mangor growls. He raises his sword, when he gets punched in the face. Mangor stumbles, then looks at where the punch came from. "Show yourself!"

"Okay."

Mangor looks around, trying to find the source, when he gets punched, kicked, and flung to a hill. The army gets jittery, but the whole front row explodes. They look around, and Yumi sees Ulrich jump onto a shark and slice it, then hops off, landing next to her. "Ulrich?"

Ulrich turns to reveal yellow eyes with XANA's symbol as pupils. "Not exactly."

Yumi widens her eyes, then someone calls her name. "Yumi!"

She turns and sees the real Ulrich running to her. "Are you okay?" he asked as he helps Yumi up. She replies, "Yeah, I'm fine. Is that…"

"Yep. It's Xana."

Yumi starts to back up, but Ulrich says, "Don't worry. He's here to help us."

"Okay. But where's Black Shadow?"

Xana points to Mangor. "Fighting Mangor."

Mangor gets up and looks around. "Show yourself, you coward!"

"I'm not being a coward. I'm being smart." Shadow said before punching him again. Mangor looks around and sees the Ulrich clone. He smiles. "Well, well, well. Look who decides to show up."

"Save it, Mangor."

Mangor chuckles. "Not in the mood, I see. Well, I'll get my revenge on you as soon as I find Black Shadow."

Xana smiles. "Okay. You asked for it."

Mangor's smile vanishes. He turns and sees a fist coming up fast. Before Mangor can dodge it, he gets punched back. The program looks up to see the ninja. "I hear you're looking for me."

Mangor smiles. "Black Shadow. It's been a long time. I see you've had a good life while I was rotting in that sleep."

"You had that coming. If you just did your job and not go crazy, we wouldn't have to destroy you."

Mangor laughs. "Who says you can defeat me? I am unstoppable." He creates a large sword, and swings it at Shadow. He dodges it, and throws his stars at the ground next to Mangor. They explode, sending Mangor flying and crashing onto a hill. He says, "I've got to hand it to you. You've gotten stronger."

"Thank you."

"But did you forget about my minions? Attack!"

The army starts to advance. Black Shadow says, "Oh, I didn't forget them. Now!"

Xana waves his hand, and three Megatanks fall out of the sky, as well as four Tarantulas. The Megatanks start blasting the army, and Xana orders, "Get on the Tarantulas!"

Ulrich, Yumi, Odd, and Aelita each ride a Tarantula, and Shadow creates his board. The Tarantulas start firing at the army, creating a pathway. They run down the path, Xana riding with Shadow, and Mangor yells, "This isn't over, you hear me, Shadow? This is not over!"

"Oh, I know its not." said Shadow.

The group stops when they are well away from the army. Aelita, Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd hop off their rides and Xana jumps off Shadows board. Yumi walks to him and says, "Uh, thanks for saving us."

"Yeah, Xana." Odd said. "When you're not trying to kill us, you're not half bad."

"Thanks, but don't celebrate yet. Mangor is still out there, getting more powerful. Soon, he'll have enough power to escape this place and take over your world." Xana said.

"When that happens, we'll be ready." said Black Shadow.

"You got that right." said Jeremie.

Ulrich says, "Where were you? You could've devirtualized us when we were in danger."

"What do you think I've been doing? Something was blocking me from using the devirtualization."

Shadow says, "Probably Mangor."

"Could be. Well, I'll start it now."

"See ya, Xana." Odd said before being devirtualized. The others said bye, and went back to their world. Black Shadow turns to Xana, then says, "Bye, Xana."

"You should tell them."

"I will. When it's the right time."

"When will that be?"

Shadow hops on his board, then says, "I don't know." He flies off, and Xana jumps onto one of his tarantulas and heads the other direction.

* * *

**Please R&R**


	4. Chapter 4: Injuries and Krabs

**Chapter 4: Injuries and Krabs**

"Hey, Aelita, Where's Jeremie?" Odd asked.

"He's still in room, trying to bring back the ice sector." said Aelita.

"Maybe he had a breakthrough."

"Like all those other times?"

"Okay, point taken." Odd resumes his eating. Aelita asks, "Where's the others?"

Through a mouthful of food, Odd says, "Yumi had to stay home to babysit her brother, Ulrich is doing his make-up work, and I don't know where Rick is."

"I'm right behind you."

Odd spits his food out from surprise. Aelita jumps back so not to get spewed on. Odd turns and says to Rick, "You have got to stop doing that."

"Or maybe you need to get a sixth sense." Rick said, sitting down. Aelita sits down, making sure not to touch the food Odd spit out. Odd says, "Don't you need to be born with a sixth sense to have one?"

"I don't know. Why ask me?"

"Maybe because you have a sixth sense."

"Maybe I do. Maybe I don't?"

Aelita interrupts, "If you two are done, there's Jeremie behind you."

Rick and Odd turn to see the Einstein getting some lunch. He walks to the table and says, "Hey, guys. Anything interesting happened while I was in my dorm?"

"Well, look who's out of the hole and into the light of life. Got tired of your computer?" Rick joked.

Jeremie says, "Actually, I came because I've finally finished my work."

"What work would that be?" asked Rick.

Jeremie hesitates. "Uh…a…security system more advanced than…the air force."

Rick raises an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah."

Rick says, "You know somethin'? I think your holding something from me. All of you." He looks at Aelita and Odd.

"We're hiding something? Says the guy who's the son of the creator of Lyoko."

"Jeremie!" Aelita said.

Rick sighs. "I knew I couldn't keep that hidden for long."

"Wait, hold up." said Odd. "Are you saying that Rick here is the son of Franz Hopper?"

"Odd, I think my last name tells us all. I am not related to Franz Hopper."

"But, if you're not, then how are you the son of the creator of Lyoko?"

Jeremie says, "Franz Hopper had a friend that helped him create the world."

"Oh. What's his name?"

"Chris Vandelez. My father." said Rick.

Odd turns to Jeremie. "When were you going to tell me this?"

"I would've told you earlier, but _someone_ told me to wait." He said, pointing at Aelita.

"But how did you know about Lyoko?" asked Rick.

The three friends look at each other, then Jeremie says, "I found the supercomputer in an abandoned factory while looking for metal for my robots. I turned it on, and found Lyoko. We've been using it to defeat XANA's plans."

"Rick, if you're the Lyoko creator's son, then you know how to shut down MANGORIAN, right?"

Rick squeezes his milk carton. "He's awake?" he whispered.

"Uh, yeah. Yesterday, we met him, and he almost killed us. Do you know how to put him back to sleep?"

Rick gets up, saying, "Excuse me." He walks out of the cafeteria, leaving his food untouched, and vanishes behind a building. Aelita says, "I have to go get something."

"Okay. Can I have your meatballs?" Odd asked. Aelita pushes her tray to him, and walks out. She goes behind the building, trying to find Rick. The pink-haired teen continues walking, and she recognizes the pathway. Aelita walks through the forest, and comes to the entrance to the sewers. She goes down and grabs her skateboard, then rides through the sewer until she finds the ladder. Aelita climbs the ladder, and exits it onto the bridge. She turns and sees movement in the factory. Aelita runs to the factory and stops at the entrance, then calls, "Rick? Are you in there?"

She hears no answer, so she walks into the factory. Aelita looks around at ground level, trying to find the movement. She hears a clanging on her right, and she turns to see something moving in the shadows. "Rick?" The teen walks slowly to the shadow. "Is that you?"

Suddenly, a Spikrelat jumps out of the shadow and starts shooting at her. Aelita screams and starts running away, but the Spikrelat gives chase. It continues to shoot, and Aelita dodges a beam and jumps toward a hanging rope, and swings down it. The teen lands on her feet, a little too hard. Clutching her throbbing leg, she tries to run away, but is slowed by her leg. The Spikrelat jumps down to ground level and stars shooting. One beam hits her bad leg, and Aelita screams in pain. She falls down, and turns around to see the Spikrelat is getting closer. It charges its shooter, ready for the killing blow, when Aelita sees a pole. She grabs it and swings the metal pole at the Spikrelat, making it skids on the metal floor. The pink-haired girl uses the metal bars for support, as she balances on her good leg. The Spikrelat gets back on its legs and starts walking toward her. Aelita raises her pole to defend, but a beam shoots it out of her hand. She turns to see another Spikrelat coming. "Oh no."

She tries to hop away, but trips and falls down. Aelita gets back up, but clutches her injured leg. The two Kankrelats charge their shooters, and Aelita gets ready for the unbearable pain. They shoot, but someone grabs Aelita's arm and pulls her to safety.

"Aelita, you can open your eyes." A friendly voice said.

She opens them to see Rick. "Rick, what are you doing here?"

Rick smiles. "Right, now, saving you."

Beams fly past their heads. Rick grabs the nearest object, another metal pole, and runs toward the Spikrelats. Aelita yells, "Wait! They could kill you!"

Rick ignores her and swings at the first Spikrelat. It hops over it, but the brown-haired teen kicsk it. He swings the pole at the second Spikrelat, making it fly across the building. "I think that would count as a homerun."

He turns to see the first Spikrelat getting up. Rick turns and runs toward it. The robot starts shooting, but Rick dodges them and drives the pole into the symbol. He jumps back before the Spikrelat explodes. Rick smiles, but a beam gets him on the shoulder. He clutches it, and turns to see the other robot running toward him. The teen grabs the pole and runs to the robot.

Aelita screams, "Look out!"

Rick turns and sees another Spikrelat firing at him. "How many of these robots did MANGORIAN release?"

Aelita tries to get up, but falls back down because of her damaged leg. She looks around, and finds a rock. Aelita grabs it and throws the rock at the Spikrelat. It turns and sees the pinked-haired girl. "Okay, not my smartest choice."

The Spikrelat starts to walk toward her, but Rick grabs its legs and throws it at the other robot. They both explode, Rick covering his eyes so the pieces don't get in his eyes. When it's done, he walks to Aelita. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, except for my leg."

Rick looks at her leg, then says, "Ooh. I think you need a doctor's advice. Here, I'll help you up."

"But, what about your shoulder?" Aelita asked as Rick puts her arm on his shoulders. He winces, but says, "It's nothing. Maybe the doctor can give me an ice packet or something."

"Okay, but how are we going to get up there?" Aelita points to the second floor. Rick thinks about it, then says, "Get on my back."

"What?"

"Ever heard of a piggy-back ride?"

"Oh." She hops onto Rick's back, and Rick grabs the rope and starts climbing it. When he gets to the top, Rick swings toward the floor and flies to it. He lands softly, and Aelita gets off his back. She cringes as her bad leg lands softly on the ground. "Ow."

"C'mon. We still have a long way to go."

Aelita tries to hop on her one leg, Rick helping her, "But she flinches every time she takes a step. "I think it will be faster if you carry me."

"Okay." Rick said.

The girl hops back on Ricks back, and the teen walks toward the manhole, and walks down, careful not to bump Aelita on a wall. When he gets to the bottom, the brown-haired boy walks through the sewer.

"You know, you're really light." Rick said.

"Okay."

Rick climbs up the ladder and walks to the school. At the edge of the forest, he puts Aelita down, and they walk, or in Aelita's case, hop, toward the nurses office. Rick helps Aelita up the steps, and Rick knocks on the door when they get to the nurses office. Yolande Perraudin, the nurse opens the door and gasp. "What happened?"

Rick comes up with an excuse. "Uh…we were doing an experiment, and it sorta exploded into lasers."

Yolande motions for them to enter, and Rick helps Aelita in. The nurse says, "Help Ms. Stone onto the bed."

When Aelita's on the bed, the nurse start checking her wound. She gets a Q-tip, dips it in a liquid, and starts rubbing the wound, making Aelita wince.

"Does it hurt when you stand on it?"

Aelita nods, and Yolande wraps her leg in guaze. "Okay, you're going to have to stay off your leg for a week."

"Okay." Aelita said.

The nurse walk to a closet and takes out a pair of crutches. "Here you go."

Aelita grabs them and gets on her good leg, using the crutches as her second leg. The nurse turns to Rick and asks, "Did you get hit somewhere?"

"The shoulder, but it doesn't hurt as much. I'll just be fine with an ice pack."

Yolande fills a bag with ice and gives it to Rick. "Okay, you two should get to class."

"Okay. Thanks." said Rick. He and Aelita walk out of the office and walk to their class.

* * *

**Three days later…**

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Jeremie, carrying Aelita's tray.

"Yes, I'm fine."

The two walk to their usual table, and they see Odd and Rick talking about the fight.

"So tell me, how many Spikrelats did you fight?" Odd asked.

"So there I was, surrounded by ten, no, twenty Spikrelats, charging their guns at me. I was surrounded. They all fire, and I was as sure as dead, but I jumped and grabbed one of them. I swing the Spikrelat like sword, and destroyed-"

"Are you telling them a story, or over exaggerating the Spikrelat fight?" Aelita asked.

"Uh, over exaggerating."

"And I wasn't buying it one bit. I knew it was fake." said Odd. "So is it true that you survived with barely a scratch?"

"Odd, he didn't face twenty Spikrelats." Ulrich said. "It was ten tops."

"Actually, there were three." Rick said.

"Three. You're saying three Spikrelats burned Aelita's leg and got your shoulder." said Odd.

"Hey, they had the element of surprise, and they're MANGORIAN's robots, remember?"

"Okay. I get it." Odd resumes his unsatisfied hunger.

"You know, it's been quiet." Yumi said.

"Yeah, so?" asked Ulrich.

"Don't you think it's a little weird that Mangor hasn't strike?"

Rick says, "I noticed it too, but I was enjoying the free time."

"I hope he doesn't attack for another month." Ulrich said.

Suddenly, they hear screaming. The group turns to see girls and boys running toward the exit. Rick looks at the direction they running away from, and his eyes widen. "Ulrich, you jinxed us."

The six friends turn and see Super Krabs wreaking havoc. "You've got to be kidding me." said Ulrich. One Krab turns and looks at the group, then powers their shooter and fires.

"Hit the deck!" Rick jumps and pushes Aelita out of the way, and the rest leaps out of the way. The beam make the table explode, and everyone covers their heads as table pieces rain. Rick gets up and grabs the table's leg, the only thing that hasn't been blown to pieces, and charges the Krab. Jeremie asks, "Is he crazy?"

"Yes. He is." Aelita says.

Rick jumps over a beam and swings his pole at its leg. The Krab topples, but quickly gets up. It starts firing at Rick, but he jumps and ducks around the beams. He jumps and lands on the Krab, and thrust the leg into the symbol. The Krab stumbles, and Rick jumps down it before it blows up.

"Wow." Yumi said.

Rick takes a bow, and everyone claps. A Krab walks out of the forest and shoots Rick in the back. He falls down, his back cringing in pain.

"Rick!" screamed Aelita.

The Krab powers up its gun, and is about to finish the boy, but Ulrich whaps it away from Rick, making it shoot a tree. Odd runs and drags Rick away from danger. "Okay, Ulrich, I got Rick."

Ulrich starts to run back, but the Krab swings his leg and racks Ulrich in the back. He yells in pain as he falls. Ulrich looks behind him to see the Krab about to skewer him with its leg.

"Ulrich!"

The leg comes down, but something knocks it off balance, making it fall. Ulrich turns his body, despite the pain, to see Sissi. "You leave Ulrich alone, seafood!" She runs to Ulrich and carries him back to the group. "Ulrich, dear, are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." Ulrich struggled.

When Sissi gets to the group, she says, "All of you have a lot of explaining to do."

"And we'll fill you in when we get to the factory." Jeremie said.

"What factory?"

"The…abandoned factory." said Ulrich.

"What-"

"Just follow us." said Yumi, as she helped Sissi carry Ulrich. Jeremie gets Rick's other arm, and he and Odd carry Rick. Aelita tries to go as fast as she can, but she soon falls behind, and the others have to wait for her. When they get to the manhole, Yumi starts to move the cover, but Jeremie stops her. "No. we have too many injured people. We're taking the long way."

They start walking through the forest, until they find the road. Krabs run around, shooting everything in their way. People scream and take cover, trying to survive. The group tries to not be spotted, but that's a little hard with an unconscious, the handicapped, and the weak. By luck, they make it to the factory and climb down, carefully, down the rope. They head for the elevator, and go down for the supercomputer room. When they get there, Sissi gapes at all the gizmos. "This has been here all this time?"

"You're lucky you're here. If it wasn't for Ulrich, you'd still be at school." said Yumi. They set Ulrich against a wall, and Jeremie presses a button. A table rises from the floor, and Jeremie and Odd put rick on the table. Aelita sits on the chair, while Jeremie walks to a part of a wall and pounds it. A part of the wall opens to reveal lots of emergency equipment.

Aelita asks, "How long have you known about that?"

"Ever since I found the supercomputer." Jeremie answered. He takes out some medicine and gives them to Yumi. "You know anything about medicine?"

"Yes." Yumi takes it and walks to Ulrich. Jeremie walks back to the cabinet and takes out a cloth and turns on the faucet. He makes the towel wet and put some other medicine on it. Einstein puts the cloth on Rick's forehead. "This should wake his mind."

Minutes pass. Aelita started a game of Go Fish with Sissi as Yumi takes care of Ulrich. He winces as the medicine touches his wounds. After a while, Rick starts to groan. He gets up, rubbing his back. "Ow. What hit me?"

"A Krab was in the forest and snuck behind you, and shot you in the back." Jeremie said.

"So that's why my back hurts." He stretches, cracking his back. He gets on his feet and looks at Ulrich. "What happened to you?"

"The Krab clawed me when I was trying to save you." Said Ulirch.

"Hey, I helped." Odd said.

"All you did was pull him away. I actually fought the beast." Ulrich winces as pain is shot through his back. Yumi says, "Don't move."

Rick sighs. "Mangor is going too far." He walks to the computer and starts typing in it. Sissi says, "Hey. You still need to explain to me what is happening out there."

"A killer program called MANGORIAN is sending his minions into our world. He's trying to take over by making everyone fear him."

Suddenly, a rumble spreads across the city. Rick types faster, and when he gets his results, he pounds his fist on the keyboard. "We're too late."

"Wh-what do you mean 'too late'?" asked Odd. Rick doesn't answer and head for the elevator. Odd, Jeremie, and Sissi follow him, and they all go up. Rick runs out and climbs the rope like a monkey. The others try to follow, and when they catch up to him on the bridge, they find a frightening sight.

A large pillar of fire stretches to the skies. They can see something moving in the fire, and when it disappears, Ricks heart drops. A dragon-like creature rises, with dark red scales, a spiked tail, and more spikes running down his back and down his legs. His face is like a serpent, with rows of teeth and black horns. His eyes are as black as death, and his claws are the same black. He unfurls his bat-like wings, and the edge is lined with spikes. The bones that extend down the wing ends in large claws, and the whole body is gigantic.

"Humans. I am Mangor. A was once a program, created by Christopher Vandelez, and have come to rule your world. Do not fight back. You can never defeat me. Show any sign of a struggle, you will all perish."

Mangor waves an arm, and Super Krabs, Supertanks, and Sharks appear. They start to cause chaos in the city. Rick clentches his fist, and runs toward the robots.


	5. Chapter 5: War Zone

**Chapter 5: War Zone**

"Rick, wait!" yelled Jeremie. He grabs Rick's wrist, stopping him. Rick turns to the Einstein, and asks, "Why are you stopping me?"

"If you go out there, you're going to die."

"So what? Those people need help. They didn't do anything."

"I know, but if you die, we have no idea how to shut him down. We need you to stop Malgor at the heart of him. In Lyoko."

Rick says, "But what about those people over there?"

Jeremie looks at the smoke coming from buildings. He sighs, then says, "Okay, but we need to get something to fight them."

Rick smiles. Jeremie says, "You know something about weapons, don't you."

"Indeed I do. Follow me." He runs back to the factory, Jeremie and Odd following him. Sissi runs after them, thinking these guys are crazy. They get back to the elevator, and they descend back to the lab. Yumi, Ulrich, and Aelita look up to see Rick all excited about something. Aelita asks, "Rick, what's going on out there?"

Odd and Jeremie follow him to a wall, which he presses his hand against, and a keypad appears. Rick types in a set of numbers, and a door opens. Rick says, "I always wanted to use this bunker." He walks down, and Odd and Jeremie look at each other. Jeremie says, "You first."

"Okay." Odd walks downstairs, Jeremie staying behind. Yumi asks, "Jeremie, what is going on out there?"

"It looks like Mangor escaped Lyoko and sent his robots into the city."

"What? How could Mangor escape?"

"I don't know, but-" Jeremie looks at Sissi, who is rocking back and forth, muttering. "Uh, Sissi, are you okay?"

"It's just dream. It's just a dream." she keeps repeating.

Yumi walks to her and slaps her back to reality. She says, "Wake up. This is all real, not a dream. You got that?"

"Yo-you mean that monster is r-real?" Sissi stutters.

"Yes. And we'll going to need everyone's help. I can't believe I'm saying this, but we'll need your help, too."

"But, I don't know how to fight." said Sissi.

"Well, you're going to need to learn fast."

Sissi turn and see Rick and Odd coming back with swords, guns, and bazookas. Rick throws Sissi a rifle. She juggles the gun, then grips it. "Is this a rifle?"

"Yep. You know how to shoot a gun, right?"

"Uh, actually, I never touched a gun."

"Well, it's easy. Just aim, and pull the trigger."

"You mean this trigger?" Sissi squeezes the trigger, and a bullet flies out, almost hitting Yumi. "Hey, watch where you're pointing that thing."

Rick throws Yumi a machine gun. Odd is already wearing two rifles, three packs of grenades, and about five handguns. Ulrich ask, "Jeez, Odd. Do you have enough guns on you?"

Odd smiles. "You can never have too much arms."

Rick is wearing two swords on his back, grenades, shotgun, and is carrying a bazooka and a bigger machine gun. "Aelita, you'll be manning the big guns."

"What about me?" asked Ulrich.

"Can you walk?"

The boy gets struggles up, and says, "Yeah. Just can't run fast."

"You won't need to. You'll be hiding in the buildings and firing this bazooka at the robots. In the building, they won't see you."

"Okay."

"Jeremie, I suggest staying here." Rick said.

"Come on. I could be useful."

"No offense, but when you find something you can do, then you can fight with us."

Jeremie sighs. "Fine."

"Now," said Rick, readying his shotgun. "Let's get our party on."

* * *

In the city, Super Krabs walk around the city, destroying anything in its path. A couple of military tanks travel to the Krabs, and start firing at them. When the smoke clears, the Krabs shoot their guns, destroying the tanks. People scream while they run out of danger. The Air force flies in, and shoots at the Supertanks, but they barely make a scratch. The Supertanks charge up, and fire a beam, heading for the planes. They explode, the pilots ejecting just before impact. They pull their parachutes and float down to the buildings. Sharks run around, shooting their laser, when helicopters fly in, and men jump off the helicopter, falling to the ground. They pull their parachutes, and load their guns. When the men touch the ground, they open fire at the Sharks. The Sharks fire back, wounding the men. The Sharks is about to shoot the killing blow, when they hear gunshots, and a few sharks explode to pieces.

"Hey, Sushi Bar!"

The Sharks turn and see Rick with a shotgun. "You looking for me?"

The robots roar, and charge after Rick. He runs down the road and turns to another road. The sharks fire, but Rick dodges them. He pulls the trigger of a grenade and throws it in the air. The grenade explodes, signaling Aelita and Ulrich to start shooting. Aelita open fires at the Sharks, and Ulrich aims his bazooka, and shoots. The bullet flies through the air, and explode when it hits the ground, destroying a pack of Sharks. Aelita shoots the machine guns, destroying more Sharks. Soon, all that's left of the army of robots are metal fins.

Rick yells, "Nice job!"

Urlich gives him a thumbs up and Aelita waves. Rick some smoke coming from the mall, so he runs to see the damage. When the teen get there, he sees Sissi and Yumi trying to shoot down some Supertanks. The bullets bounce off the shell, and they shoot when the bullets aren't coming. Yumi sees a Supertank sneak behind Sissi, and charges its beam.

"Sissi, look out!"

Yumi runs and pushes the teen girl away, as the robot fires. The beam blasts yumi instead, sending her flying into a wall.

"Yumi!" screamed Sissi. She runs to her and finds Yumi unconscious. "Oh no." Sissi turns and sees the Supertanks surrounding her. She fires her gun, but the ammunition rebounds off. Sissi keeps firing, but soon she runs out of ammo. "Great. Now I'm gonna die. I didn't want to die like this."

One Supertank opens and charges its beam. Before it shoots, Rick jumps in front of it and shoots at the symbol. It rolls back and explodes. He puts his shotgun back into its case, and unsheathes his swords. Rick runs toward another Tank, which opens to shoot at the teen. Before it shoots, Rick slashes the symbol, and runs to another Supertank and slices it. They both explode and Rick throws a grenade at another tank before it closes. The grenade explodes on the inside, and the body is just a shell. Rick kicks it to another Tank, making it open and shoot it to pieces. The teen throws his sword at the Tank, and it explodes. Rick smiles at the destruction.

"This is just fun."

A Supertank sneaks behind him, but before it shoots, Rick points his gun behind him and shoots it. Sissi stares at him with wide eyes. Rick runs to her and asks, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but I don't know about Yumi." Sissi said.

Rick hears breathing, and checks her head. "She's fine, but she is out cold. We need to get her to safety."

He hears metal crunching, and Rick turns to see Krabs. "Great. Just what we need." He loads his gun, but a Krab shoots it out of his hands. Rick unsheathes his swords and runs toward the Krab, but it shoots at him. He blocks it with his swords, but the force of the ray pushes him back, making him drop his swords. The Krabs get closer, and charges its gun, but a bullet cuts through its armor, and it explodes. The three look up to see Odd holding his handgun. He jumps down and takes out the rifles on his back, and yells, "Eat lead, junk pile!" He starts firing at the Krabs like a maniac, yelling. When he's done, all that's left are legs and two bodies. One body moves, but Odd shoots it, making it blow to pieces. Rick walks to him and asks, "Are you okay?"

"What fun is it if you don't go crazy?"

"Oookay. Well, if you're done being crazy, Yumi needs help."

The two run back to the girls. Sissi is carrying Yumi by the arms, and Odd helps her carry the Japanese girl. Rick says, "You two get Yumi out of here. I'll check if there are any more robots."

He hijacks a motorcycle and drive back to where Ulrich and Aelita are. When Rick gets there, he hears a scream from the roof a building. Rick looks around and finds a safe hanging on a crane. He finds also finds a plank of board and a large container. Rick smiles and rolls the container to its position and puts the board on top of it, facing the building. Rick runs to the crane and turns it with the safe attached to it. When he puts it in position, Rick runs to the other end of the plank, and shoots the switch inside the crane, making the safe fall.

_I always wanted to do this _thought Rick before the safe lands on the board and flinging the teen up to the building. He spreads his arms, feeling the rushing wind in his face and lands flat on something metal on the roof. Rick groans as he slides off the metal and crashes painfully on the roof.

"Oww. Didn't expect that." he said.

"Rick, we need help."

The boy turns to see Ulrich pointing his bazooka at something, and Aelita hiding behind him. Rick gets up and turns to see a giant metal snake. "Whoa!" He backs up quickly, pointing his gun at the face. It hisses, its yellow eye staring at the teens. Ulrich aks, "It's a basilisk."

"I don't think so."

"Why do you say that?"

"One: it's metal. Two: I'm staring at its yellow eyes, and I'm not dead." Rick said.

"Oh." He charges his bazooka, and Rick loads his gun. The Snake rears his head and lets out an earsplitting cry. Everyone clutches their ears as the snake screams. IT stops, and Rick looks up to it. He scans it, looking for the symbol, but doesn't find it. Two large guns appear on the snakes back, pointing at the teens. The two boys point their guns at it. The snake stares at them, as if waiting for something. Ulrich asks, "What's it waiting for? We're sitting ducks here."

"I don't know, but it cannot be good." Rick said.

Suddenly, the trio hears laughter. A pillar of fire sprouts out of the ground, and vanishes to reveal the human Mangor. "I see you found my newest design. The Basilisk."

Ulirch says, "I told you."

"Uh, isn't the Basilisk supposed to be deadly because of its killer eyes?" asked Rick.

Mangor chuckles. "Yes, but this machine is as deadly as one, even if the eyes are not deadly."

"Oh. Makes sense."

"Now, would you like to see its shadow?" asked Mangor.

"No thanks. What I want is that to vanish into thin air."

Mangor chuckles. "Too bad. Kill them!"

The Basilisk hisses and open fires. The trio jump out of the way as the bullets break apart a part of the roof. Mangor laughs as he vanishes inside a column of fire. The snake turns and fires at them again. Ulrich, Rick, and Aelita hides behind the building with the stairs. Aelita asks, "How are we supposed to destroy that monstrosity?"

"Easy. We find the symbol." answered Ulrich.

"Yeah. There's just one problem."

Aelita and Ulirch look at Rick. "It doesn't have a symbol."

The building behind them explodes. They turn to see the snake aiming its gun. They back up, but stop when the trio gets to the edge of the roof. Aelita looks down at the hudred feet fall, gulping. The Basilisk hisses and fires. Rick quickly pushes the two off the roof and jumps down before the part of the ceiling they were standing on explodes. Aelita screams as she falls and Ulrich yells, "ARE YOU CRAZY?"

Rick tucks his arms and falls past Ulrich and Aelita. He takes a packet out of his pocket and throws it to the ground. Upon landing, the packet expands and creates a soft landing. The three fall and land on the landing. They crawl to the edge and hop off. Rick helps Aelita down, and they start running away from the Basilisk. Aelita says, "Wait up."

Rick stops and turns. He says, "Look out!"

Aelita stops and something huge crashes in front of her. The Basilisk roars, and aims its cannons at the girl. She backs up, but trips and falls onto the ground. Rick turns and yells to Ulrich, "Go! I'll take care of this!"

Ulirch nods and runs away. Rick turns and runs toward the giant snake. He runs up the body as the cannons charge. He stops at the head, and thrusts his sword into the Basilisk's eyes. It shrieks in pain, and aims its cannons above Aelita, shooting the oil truck. It explodes in a ball of fire, and Rick jumps over the head and starts shooting into the snake's mouth. The snake shriels even louder, and swings its tail at Rick, whacking him into a building.

"Rick!" screams Aelita. She turns and sees the Basilisk rising above her, hissing. It charges its cannon, and Aelita closes her eyes. The snake fires, and Aelita gets ready for the pain. It never came

Aelita looks up and sees a big robot blocking the laser. The robot stretches and grabs the snake's neck, and throws it away. It turns and sees Jeremie through the glass.

"Wha…? How did you…?"

"Been building it for some time now. With the help of Xana, I was able to finish the suit." Jeremie said.

Aelita looks in the direction the suit threw the snake, and says, "Look out?"

Confused, Jeremie turns and gets blasted back. He flies through the air and crashes on the road, creating a robot shaped crater. The snake hisses in victory, and charges its cannons. Before the snake shoots, something shoots it in the head. The Basilisk turns and sees an automatic gun propped on a tripod, firing. The Basilisk gets annoyed and slithers to it.

While it slithers, Rick runs out of the shadow and speeds to Jeremie. When he gets to the suit, he asks, "Jeremie, are you alright?"

All Jeremie does is groan. Rick opens the glass window and unhooks Jeremie. He carries him out of the suit and lays him on the ground. Aelita crawls to him and asks, "How is he?"

"A couple of cuts. Probably a concussion, too. I can't tell any other damages." He looks up and sees the snake eating the automatic. "You get him to safety while I take care of the snake."

"How are you going to do that?" asked Aelita.

He looks at the suit. "With the super suit." He runs to the robot suit while Aeltia drags Jeremie out of danger. Rick gets in the suit and gets in. The glass closes and Rick powers the suit. When it's powered up, wires attach to him. He gets up, and the suit copies him. Rick stretches his arm, the suit doing the same. He smiles. "Jeremie, you outdid yourself."

He gets into fighting position and yells, "Hey, scaly!"

The snake turns and sees Rick and the armor. "How about you fight someone your own size?"

The snake hisses, and open fires. The lasers hit dead center of the body, but Rick doesn't feel a thing. He charges the snake, and grabs the snake. They crash into a building, and rick throws the Basilisk out. Rick walks out of the crashed building, extends his arm, and a gun pops out of the suits arm. "Sweet."

He powers the gun, and fires a white laser at the snake. The laser cuts through the armor and pushes it back into another building. He walks to tit, and the snake jumps out and bites his arm. Rick screams as pain shoots up and down his real arm. He grabs the snake's mouth and pulls it off of him. He then throws it into the air, and when it falls back down, Rick punches the face, and the Basilisk flies away, pieces falling off its face. Rick looks at his arm, and sees blood running down his arm.

"You really outdid yourself." Rick said.

The Basilisk slithers back and lunges at the suit. Rick grabs its neck and sees that the armor fell off, revealing the skeleton of the robot. He throws it away, but the Basilisk wraps its tail around Rick's arm, taking him, too. When they land, Rick clutches his head, the robot mimicking him. He looks at the snake, which hisses at him as it grows spikes on its tail. The Basilisk swings, scratching the chest. Rick grasps his chest as pain spreads. He looks up and sees the snake bite his injured arm, sending more pain through it, and throw him around like a dog's toy. The Basilisk lets go, sending Rick flying into a building, demolishing it. Rick crawls out, exhausted. The robot snake slithers to him, hissing with victory.

"I have had it WITH YOU!" Rick yells as he gets up. His arms sprout wicked swords, and Rick charges at the Basilisk. It rears back in confusion, and starts firing at him. The teen blocks them with his swords and slashes at the Basilisk's head. It shrieks in pain, and Rick stabs it in the chest. The snake swings its tail, raking the head. Rick ignores the pain and grabs its tail, and swings it at a building. The Basilisk growls and lunges at Rick's leg. He screams, but Rick stabs the snake's neck. It roars and backs up. The Basilisk wraps its tail around a piece of a building, and throws it. Rick slashes the block to pieces and charges the snake. The basilisk attacks, but the teen is ready. He slashes the head off and starts cutting the body to pieces. Rick picks up the head, and rips it in half. He throws the remains, breathing hard. Rick falls onto all four, tired.

"Rick? Are you okay?"

Rick turns and sees Aelita in an alley. He shakes his head, and gets up. Rick presses a button, and the wires detach, and the window opens. Rick falls out and walks to Aelita and Jeremie. "He needs a doctor."

"I have a cell phone." Aelita said. She gives the phone to Rick, and he calls 911.

* * *

The doctor's put Jeremie on a table and put him in the ambulance. One doctor looks atick,a nd says, "I think you need to come to."

Rick limps inside the ambulance, and the doctor closes the door. They drive to the hospital, and Aelita watches it vanish. Ulrich steps out of the shadow and says, "C'mon. The others are probably worried about us."

They walk back to the factory, relieved that they won an epic battle.

Or so they thought.

* * *

**Is it me, or does the ending part of the battle remind me of the fight in the forest in Transformer's 2?**

**Oh well. Please R&R**


	6. Chapter 6: Discovering Mangor's Home

**Chapter 6: Discovering Mangor's Home**

The next day, Aelita, Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and Sissi walk to the hospital. When they get there, Yumi tells the lady behind the desk that they want to see Rick and Jeremie.

"Okay. Mr. Vandelez is on the second floor third to the right. Mr. Bolpois is on the third floor, fifth door to the left." said the lady.

"Thanks." Yumi and the group walk to the elevator. Ulrich pushes the button, and they head for the second floor. They turn right, and enter the third door. The group sees Rick getting up from the bed and talking to the doctor. The doctor looks up and sees the group. "I see you have some visitors." He walks to the door, the girls moving out of the way. "I'll leave you with them, and then you can leave."

"Thanks." Rick says.

The doctor leaves. "So, why are you here?" asked Rick sarcastically.

"I think you know." Ulrich said.

"We came to see how you and Jeremie are doing." Odd said, grabbing his shoulder. Rick flinches, saying, "Arm still hurts."

"Oh, sorry." Odd releases his shoulder, and Rick rubs it. "As you can see, I'm fine. Still a little sore in some parts."

Yumi says, "Okay. Now we just need to see Jeremie."

The six friends head for the third floor. They head left, and enter the fifth door. The friends see Jeremie lying on the bed. He turns his head and says weakly, "Hey."

"Hey, ol' buddy." said Ulrich. "How are you feeling?"

"A little weak. How about you, Rick?"

"Fine." Rick answered.

Yumi walks to the nurse and asks, "How is he?"

The nurse says, "He's fine, but Mr. Bolpois is paralyzed from the waist down."

"Paralyzed?" asked Sissi.

"Yes. It means he cannot move his legs." Odd explained slowly.

"I know what it means." Sissi said.

"Will he be okay to leave soon?" asked Yumi.

"He has to stay here for a couple more days; just to be sure he's okay."

"Okay. Thanks." Yumi walks to Jeremie, and says, "We'll see you later."

"Okay. See you later." Jeremie said. The group walks out of the room and exits the hospital. Rick says, "This has better be the last major attack Mangor sends."

"Yeah. But if he sends another attack, much bigger than this, then we're pretty much dead." Ulrich said.

They head for the factory, careful not to rouse suspicion. The group gets to their destination, and slide down the rope and down the elevator. Rick turns and says, "Okay. Yumi, Ulrich, Odd, and Aelita head for Lyoko. Sissi will stay here, and I'll take the supercomputer."

"What do you know about the supercomputer?" asked Ulrich.

"Did you forget that my dad created the computer and Lyoko?"

"Okay." The doors open, and Rick and Sissi exit the elevator. Rick says, "Good luck on Lyoko."

The doors close, and the three head for the scanners. Rick starts the computer, and starts the scanning. "Transfer: Odd, Yumi, Aelita, and Ulrich. Scanner: Odd, Yumi,Aelita, and Ulrich. Virtualization."

Three forms appear, and Aelita, Yumi, Odd, and Ulrich land on the grassy ground. They look around, and Odd asks, "Hey, Rick, why the forest?"

"There is a place in Lyoko where Mangor is at. You need to find it."

"Easy. Mangor is in Carthage, like Xana." Odd said.

"No. There is another place that is secret, not even my dad knew. I don't know where it is at, so you will search high and low in Lyoko."

Yumi says, "But wouldn't Carthage tell us where it is?"

"No. Now, I suggest looking now while I search on the computer." said Rick.

"Fine. But could we have our vehicles?" asked Ulirch.

Three forms appear, and the four get on the vehicles. They drive around, looking for anything out of the ordinary. They don't find anything, so they go to a tower and fly down. They appear going up and exit the tower, finding themselves in the ice sector. They search and search, but couldn't find anything.

"Okay, I have an idea. Let's think like Mangor. Now, if you're Mangor, where would he hide his base?" Odd said as he paces back and forth. Yumi, Ulirch, and Aaelita sit against a rock in the desert sector. Ulrich throws rock after rock into the digital sea, and Yumi asks, "Anything yet?"

"No, nothing." Rick said in defeat. "I don't get it. I tried every program that could find a secret bug in the whole internet. How could Mangor hide something so huge?"

Ulirch throws another rock, as far as he can throw, and the rock clangs on something, confusing the samurai. He gets up and gets on his motorcycle. Aelita sees him and asks, "what are you doing, Ulirch?"

He doesn't answer. Ulrich changes his motorcycle into a hovercycle and flies in the direction the rock mysteriously clanged on. He stops, and stretches his hand forward. His hand touches something cold. Ulrich knocks on it, and a hollow sound echoes. "Hey, I think I found something."

The others hop on their vehicles and fly to where Ulrich is. Yumi asks, "What did you find?"

"Something invisible. Rick, can you turn it visible?"

"I'm trying to, but it's not sending it to the thing." He types some more, then pounds his fist. Then, an idea pops in his head. "Can someone touch it?"

Odd stretches and touches the invisible barrier. Rick types, and a shock goes through Odd's body. When the shock is at his hand, a metal wall reappears around his hand, and stretches across the air, until a giant door appears. The shock disappears on Odd's hand, and he takes it away from the door. Odd looks up the door, and says, "Whoa. That is huge."

"I think we found the door to Mangor's base." Aelita said.

Suddenly, and beam flies past Aelita's head. Everyone turns to see Ultimate swarms, with spikes along their backs and killer claws. They have two shooters, and they shoot at the group. They dodge it, and Odd tries to open the door. IT doesn't budge, and Odd says, "we could use some help!"

"Hold your horses. I'm trying to type as fast as I can." Rick said. He types,, and says, "There. I just upgraded your weapons."

"Upgraded? How?" Ulrich asks. Suddenly, his sword starts to glow. It grows longer, then stops glowing. Ulrich says, "What's the big deal? All you did was-" He swings his sword, and a beam flies out of the sword and destroys five Ultimate swarms. He smiles. "Cool." He throws his sword, and it flies around, destroying five more swarms. The sword flies back into Ulirchs hand.

Yumi's fans glow and they grow longer spikes. She throws them, and they destroy two swarms. The fans shoot out spikes, destroying seven Ultimate swarms. They fly back to Yumi's hands, and says, "Now this I like."

Odd's hands glow, and he shoots one arrow. It splits into seven, and home onto seven swarms. "Rick, you're even better than Jeremie."

Aelita shoots an energy field, and it destroys a swarm. The field bounces and blasts another swarm, and another swarm, and destroys ten. "Wow."

"I know. I'm just that awesome." Rick said. He continues typing, trying to get the doors to open. "C'mon. So far, I think you'll need to blow the door to pieces."

"Great. How do we do that?" asked Odd.

"I don't know. I'm tryi-. Hold on." Rick tries a way, and hits enter. The doors behind the warriors open, and they fly in the place. Rick quickly closes it before any swarms can fly in. the warriors take a breather, looking around. "Rick, does anyone know what hell looks like?" asked Odd.

"No one alive. Why?"

Because this looks a lot like hell."

"Hold on. I'm going to get a visual." Rick pushes a few keys, and a screen pops up, showing Mangor's home. It does look like hell.

Fire shoots out everywhere, towers all over the place. A ball of fire shines in the middle of the city, and a grand building, taller than any building in the town. Everything is black and red color, and some of the other colors here and there. Aelita sees something moving, and she says, "We need to hide somewhere."

They go inside an empty building, waiting for the figures to pass. Sharks walk to the building. One sniffs in the air, and says, "I smell something."

"Your nose is clogged from the fire. I don't smell anything." said another one.

"I smell a new scent. It smells like those warriors that fought our brothers."

"You're nose is wrong. This place is well too hidden for their simple minds." They continue walking, and the warriors breathe in relief. "That was too close." Ulrich said.

"I thought they were going to find us." said Yumi.

"Simple minds?" asked Odd. "If they weren't so powerful, I would break all their teeth, beat the crap out of them, and shoot them to pieces."

"Calm down, Odd. They're sharks. They're the experts of simple minds." said Rick.

"So, Rick, what should we do?" Ulirch asked.

"I want you to find Mangor. He should be in the center of this…place."

"Okay." Yumi said. "But how do we get past all the patrols?"

"Just give me a sec." Rick types a few keys, and bracelets appear on the warrior's wrist. Rick says, "These are special vanishing bracelets. You just touch them, and you all disappear."

Odd pounds the bracelet, and he suddenly vanishes. "Cool."

The warriors all vanish. They exit the building and run along the streets, heading for the center of the city. Ulrich climbs one building and hop from one to another. They stop and hide from a patrol Shark. They continue running, and soon they get to the grand building.

"Made it." Aelita said. She was about to run ahead, but Ulrich stopped her. He points ahead, and Aelita sees three Sharks guarding the door. "So? We're invisible."

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be weird if the door just opens by itself?" said Ulrich.

"Then how are we supposed to get inside?"

Odd suggests, "How about destroying the sharks?"

"Sure, Odd. And when the tower patrols see them missing, alarms go out, signaling a break in." Rick said.

"Okay. I get it. Bad idea."

"How about the window?" Aelita suggested. She points to an open window.

Yumi says, "That's not a bad idea. Now all we need is some way to climb that."

"I can climb that easy, and carry one person. Just don't know how the others will get up." Odd said.

"How about Odd and Aelita climbs inside and scouts around? Then they'll just exit and head home." Rick said.

"What if they gets in trouble?"

"Don't worry. I'll be their eyes and ears."

Ulrich said. "Alright. Hey, how's Sissi doing?"

"She's patrolling the city in case Mangor sends another assault." Rick answered.

"Okay. We're going in." Odd and Aelita runs to the tower with the window, and Aelita hops on Odds back and starts climbing the wall. He jumps in the window and looks around, finding it clear. Odd and Aelita runs down a hallway, as quiet as shadow, and starts to walk downstairs when Rick said, "wait. Try going upstairs. Maybe Mangor's up there."

"Why do you want to find Mangor?" Odd whispered.

"So I know where to attack him."

The two starts to go upstairs when Aelita says, "Hold on. I hear something."

The three listen for a while, then Odd says, "Sounds like voices."

"What are they doing in the basement?" asked Rick.

"How 'bout we find out?" suggested Odd.

"Okay. Aelita will continue upstairs, and Odd will go down and see what the voices are talking about."

Odd says, "Good luck." before going down to the basement. Aelita goes on upstairs, and finds hallways with rows of doors. "Man, which one do I pick?"

"Pick a random door." Rick said. Aelita walks down the hall, and opens a random door. Inside is piles and piles of gold. "I'm guessing this is his treasury."

"Man that's probably worth trillions of dollars." said Rick.

The pink-haired girl closes the door and resumes her running upstairs. In another hall, she opens the first door and finds flashing lights, food, a DJ, and robots dancing and having fun. "Wow. This looks fun."

"Too bad you'll get captured if you have a blast in the party."

Aelita keeps going upstairs and opening doors, finding different rooms: A game room, more treasure, a construction room, and even a room for mistakes. "Well, at least he's not totally mean."

"I'm surprised he has a heart."

Aelita walks down the hall and stops at a door with a DO NOT ENTER sign. "Huh. I wonder what he's hiding in there." She opens the door, surprised to find it unlock. Aelita walks in the dark room. She tries to find a lightswitch, and accidentally hits a button. Light bulbs turn on, showing two containers. One is holding some kind a giant, furry dog, the other a pale person with a dark shirt and black pants. She walks to the container, feeling hypnotized. Aelita stretches her hand, touching the cold glass. Suddenly, the person's eyes open, showing sinister red eyes. Startled, Aelita quickly walks back, tripping over a bucket. She tries to grab something to break her fall, and her hand hits the controls. The teen quickly gets up and runs out of the room, closing it. Inside, a button flashes, and the tube containing the person rises, letting steam out.

Aelita pants, surprised at what she just saw.

"Aelita, are you okay?" asked Rick.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"I lost you for a second. I thought something happened-"

"Nothing happened. Just found something that I hope I won't see again." Aelita runs upstairs, the red eyes still in her head.

On the last floor, Aelita runs to the end of the hallway, and comes upon a door more magnificent than any other doors. She opens the door large enough so she can fit her head in. Aelita sees a large room with a window going from one half of the room to another. In front of the window, a large throne sits, occupied. Mangor sits on the throne, looking like he's head is bowed, So Aelita can't see his eyes. She enters the room and quietly closes the door.

"Rick, I'm in the main room, and Mangor is here." She whispered.

"I see him."

"What should I do?"

"Look for something that we can use against him."

"Okay." Aelita sees a desk, and she walks to it.

* * *

Odd runs down the stairs, careful not to make a sound. As he goes down, the temperature rises.

_Jeez. Why is it so hot down here? _he asked himself. When Odd steps on the bottom floor, he sneaks to the glowing opening in the hall. Odd slides along the wall, and sticks his head out to see something very frightening.

A giant furnace is along the far wall, and two sharks with gadgets all over them is taking and cooling pieces of metal. One shark says, "Man, why did he have to order one big bot?"

"Master Mangor wants this done so he can easily take over the world and destroy those warriors, Aelrich, Yumodd, or whatever those names are." said the second.

"Yeah, but did he have to really have such a big robot?"

The second Shark bangs the first on the head with a wrench. "Stop complaining and cool the metal."

"Fine."

Odd quietly runs down the hallway, and asks, "Rick, did you hear that?"

"Yeah, and it doesn't sound good."

Odd continues running forward, and finds a large, wooden door. "huh. Wonder what's behind this huge door."

"Nothing good. I suggest leaving now." Rick said.

"Aw, c'mon. Whatever's in there won't see me." Odd tries to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. He looks around, and finds a smaller door. The cat walks to it and enters the room. His ears are the first to find what's in hear. Odd hears hissing, and his eyes come up to gigantic snakes. "Holy reptiles."

"Basilisks."

The snakes slither around, waiting to be let go. Odd quickly gets out of the room and slams the door behind him, his heart beating a thousand miles an hour. He calms down, and says, "Hope I don't have to face those things in my whole life."

He runs back to the stairs, but he starts to flash back. "What the- what's going on?"

"I don't know. Something's malfunctioning the bracelets." Rick said as he tries to fix the problem. Soon, Odd reappears, and the bracelet burns. "Great. Now how am I going to get back?"

"You don't."

Someone hits Odd in the head, knocking him out. The Shark drops his Wrench and starts to drag the cat. "Master will pay me wonderfully with you."

* * *

Aelita digs through the drawers, careful not to disturb Mangor. Finding nothing, she closes it and asks, "If I was Mangor, where would I hide something important?"

"Nowhere anyone could find it easily."

Aelita turns to find the voice, and something cuts through her side. She screams and falls on the ground. Aelita removes her hand and sees a red liquid on her hand, and blood dripping from where the thing cut through. "What?"

She hears chuckling, and looks up to see Mangor walking down the steps of his throne, a bloodied sword in his hand. He waves his hand, and the bracelet falls off Aelita's wrist and explodes, and she reappears.

"You think you can sneak into my home without me finding out?" asked Mangor.

"To tell you the truth, yes." Aelita said. She gets up, but Mangor punches her back to a wall. "I know you didn't come alone. And your ally's should be in here right about…now."

Doors open, and Sharks pushes Ulrich and Yumi inside. Aelita yells, "Yumi!"

Yumi gets up and sees Aelita. "Aelita are you-"

"Silence." Mangor said. He waves his arm, and a force pushes Yumi to a wall. Ulrich says, "Yumi! You'll pay for that." He uses super sprint and was about to slash Mangor, but He blocks the sword and punches Ulrich in the guts. He groans and falls to the ground. Mangor picks him up and throws him at the window. Ulrich slides down, unconscious. Yumi runs to him, checking if he's okay.

Mangor says, "Hmm. I was expecting more. Where's that annoying cat?"

"Right here, sire." A shark walks in the room, carrying a groaning Odd. "Found him snooping the forges." He throws Odd on the floor, and he gets up. "Wh-where am I?" Odd looks around, and sees Yumi and Ulrich, Mangor, and Aelita. "Aelita, are you bleeding?"

Mangor chuckles, and says, "Your all probably wondering how this little girl is bleeding. Well, this place is a virtual world, but, unlike Lyoko, is connected to your world. So, you have all the powers of your Lyoko forms, but are as vulnerable as your human self. Which means I can do…this." He swings at Odd, creating a gash on his chest. Odd clutches his injured chest and falls to the ground. "I can give you pain you couldn't imagine. Get them all at the foot of my throne."

The Sharks grabbed the warriors and throws them in front of the throne. Odd groans as he lands on his chest, and Yumi helps Aelita cover the cut. She whispers, "Rick, please help." He doesn't answer, confusing Aelita. Mangor walks to his throne and sits. "Well, this is an unexpected surprise."

"Really?" asked Odd.

"No. I sensed you coming the minute all of you set foot in my world. I was the one who destroyed your little invisible jewelry. I also sensed another presence, familiar to me. May I ask, where is Black Shadow?"

"We haven't seen him all day. We're the only ones who came." Aelita said.

Mangor growls, and grabs Aelita by the neck with lightning speed. "Liar. I know he's here. I sensed him here. Now I'll ask again, and don't lie to me. WHERE IS HE?"

Choking, Aelita tries to pry his hands open, but Mangor's hands are like iron. Yumi says, "Leave her alone. None of us have seen Black Shadow. It was just me, Ulrich, Aelita, and Odd that entered here."

Mangor looks at her, still clutching Aelita's neck. He swings his sword, cutting Yumi's face. She clutches it in pain, and Odd yells, "Would you stop doing that!"

"Then I suggest you all stop lying to me." He turns back to Aelita. "I guess if you're not going to tell me where he is, Then there's no point in keeping you, is there?"

He points his sword at Aelita's heart, and her eyes widen. He is about to thrust his sword, when the windows shatter. Mangor turns and gets punched in the face, letting go of Aelita. She coughs, and looks up to see Black Shadow. He turns to them and says, "Get out of here. Now!"

He turns and gets rammed by a flying Mangor. He pushes him off and unsheathes his swords. Mangor swings his sword, but Shadow blocks it. "I here you were looking for me."

"Then you heard right." He thrusts his hand, and Shadow flies back, rashing into a wall. He falls, but gets up and swings his sword, letting beams fly out. Mangor blocks the first one, but gets hit with the second. The beast grabs the air, and Black Shadow feels something clutching his waist. He gets flung around as Mangor swings his arm around. The ninja swings his sword in front of him, and falls to the ground. He lands on his feet and sees Mangor clutching his arm. Black Shadow asks, "Yo seem more powerful here."

"That is because I am linked to my place." Mangor said.

"You mean…"

Mangor smiles. "Yes. This whole place is Mangorian."

Black Shadow charges, and slashes at Mangor, but blocks it, and grabs Shadows arm. He throws him at the open wall, making him fall. Aelita screams. "Shadow!"

Mangor walks to the opening, to see if he fell to the bottom. When He gets there, feet is planted on his face, and Mangor flies back. Black Shadow hops back inside the building and says, "Miss me?"

Mangor growls and sprints at the ninja at light speed. He uses Black Shadow as a punching bag, and slashes his sword, creating cuts all over his body. Shadow tries to block the attack, but gets kick to a wall, dropping his sword. He tries to get up, but Mangor stops him, placing his foot on Shadow's chest. "Now, time to meet your maker." He thrusts his sword, and Shadow closes his eyes, hearing Aelita scream, "NO!"

Black Shadow hears a scream, but not from him. He opens his eyes to find a blade sticking out of the body of Odd. HIS eyes widen as he sees the truth. "Odd!"

Mangor takes the blade out of the cat, and Odd says, his voice haggard, "I hope you suffer." He falls out of the building towards his doom. Mangor watches him, and says, "He would have made a great soldier. Oh well. He had it coming." He turns to face Black Shadow, but gets punched in the face. Before Mangor could fight back, he gets punched again, and again, until he's worn out. Shadow grabs his neck and forces him against a wall. "This is an all low. Even for you, Mangor."

"So what? You're all going to die, sooner or later." Mangor choked.

Shadow stretches his hand, and one sword flies to his hand. He points it at the beast's chest, and says, "Well, I'm not going down by your hands." He thrusts the sword into Mangor's chest, making him choke. Black Shadow throws him out the opening. He falls to his legs, exhausted. Yumi walks over and helps him up. Ulrich walks to the opening and whispers, "Odd, why did you have to be stupid?"

"He wasn't stupid." Shadow said. "Only a true warrior would give his life to save someone. He probably was the bravest of us all."

Aelita slowly walks over and stands next to Shadow. She looks down, tears brimming her eyes. She cries into Shadows chest, the sobs coming out hard. Yumi starts to cry, and Ulrich just stares at his feet. Black Shadow suddenly feels a presence behind him, and turns to see Xana in samurai form. "Xana. I thought you couldn't come here."

"I can't. This is just a spirit."

Ulrich asks, "Why did you come here?"

"I am sorry about your loss. He really was a true warrior."

"Just get to the point." Yumi said.

"Okay. I'm sorry Shadow, but he has a secret he should tell you all."

Aelita asks, "What secret?"

Shadow walks past Xana, and stops in the middle of the room. Xana says, "If you don't tell them, I will."

"Shadow, what is he talking about?" asked Ulrich.

Black shadow sighs. "I'm not…a virtual person."

"What do you mean?"

Shadow tries to speak, but couldn't get the words out. Xana speaks for him. "He is a human being that lives in your world."

"But, how? Is he like Aelita, who was stuck here?" asked Yumi.

Xana shakes his head. "No. He lives in your world right now. In fact, you're friends with him."

Ulrich asks, "How is he our friend? We only have one new friend and that is…" he stops before he can finish.

"Yeah. You're right." He turns and faces the group. "I'm Rick."

Ulrich drops his jaw, and Yumi stares at him wide eyes. She stutters, "But, but…how…"

Aelita walks to him and asks, "Why keep that a secret?"

"I just didn't want any of you to get hurt."

"A little late on that." said Ulrich.

"And if I told you, Mangor probably would have gone after Aelita. Or one of you guys." He added quickly.

Ulrich says, "Look, I get why you kept it a secret. You wanted to protect us. But you should know we can handle ourselves."

"Oh, right. Like how you handled when Mangor attacked, and what just happened right now."

"You don't have to rub it in."

"Can we leave now? I can't take one minute in this place." said Yumi.

The warriors start to walk out, and Xana says, "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out earlier. His looks are the same as in your world."

"To tell you the truth, I thought I recognized him." said Aelita.


	7. Chapter 7: Mangor in the Real World

**Chapter 7: Mangor in the Real World**

Rick types on the keyboard on the supercomputer, while Aelita and Ulrich wait around. After a while, Ulrich asks, "Are you done with the clone yet?"

"No. I still got to work on the bugs, and create a physical body. It should take a short while." said Rick.

"I still can't believe Odd is…gone." Aelita struggled to say the word without crying.

"I can't believe it either. But we need to face the truth."

Ulrich asks, "Could Xana do something to get him back?"

"He could if he died on Lyoko. But Mangor said his place is a mixture of our world and the virtual world. And, before you ask, it's pretty much impossible to bring people back from the dead. Now I suggest getting back to the school before they get suspicious." Rick said.

"What about you?" Aelita asked.

"Just say that I'm home sick for one day."

"Okay. See ya later." Ulrich heads for the elevator, and Aelita gets up and follows him. Ulrich presses the button, and the doors close, leaving Rick alone. He types for a couple more minutes, and says, "There. It should be ready by tomorrow." He gets up, stretches, and was about to head for the elevator when something beeped on the screen. Rick reads the message, and gets back on the computer.

* * *

**The next day…**

The bell rings, and the students head for the cafeteria. Yumi, Ulrich, and Aelita head for the vending machines. Ulrich puts a coin in, and a cup poops out, and is filled with hot chocolate. He takes a sip, and Yumi asks, "How's Rick doing on the replacement?"

"He says he's almost done. It's probably ready today, or it will be ready tomorrow."

Yumi turns her head, and says, "I think it's ready right now."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because I see Rick walking with the undead Odd."

They turn and see Rick with Odd. When he gets there, Rick says, "Finally completed the Odd clone. May I introduce, Odd the II."

Odd waves his hand, and Yumi asks, "Are you sure this will fool everyone?"

"100 percent sure. Well, not really. He doesn't have all of Odd's behavior. He'll make crappy jokes, just not as crappy as the real Odd's."

"What about the real Odd?"

Rick turns and Sees Sissi. "Uh…" He turns back and whispers, "Didn't any of you tell her?"

They all shake their head, and rick groans. Ulrich says, "We all agreed that you're telling her."

"And why me?"

"Because you're the new guy here."

"That has got to be the lamest reason I have ever heard." Rick sighs, then turns back to Sissi. "Listen, Sissi. When we went to the virtual world called Lyoko, we found Mangor's lair while you were patrolling. There was a little fight, and Odd sacrificed himself to save me."

"Sacrifice himself? As in…"

"Yeah. He's dead. This clone," He nods his head in the direction of Odd. "Is here to take his place until I can get him back."

"I thought you said that it's impossible to bring him back." Ulrich said.

"You think that will stop me from finding a way?" Rick asked, turning to here.

Sissi says, "I'm sorry about your friend. You know, I could help."

"You already are helping. Still can't believe it." Yumi said.

Ulrich looks around, then says, "Hey, where's Odd? Or the clone?"

"C'mon guys. Could you pick up the pace?"

The four turn to see Odd at the doors of the cafeteria. "I'm starving. Now hurry up!" He walks in the building, and Yumi says, "You sure there are a few flaws on him?"

"I'm pretty sure. No clone is an exact copy." They all walk to the cafeteria.

* * *

In science class, Rick and Sissi were picked to be partners, and they are working on a model of the Solar System. Sissi puts the planet Neptune on the wire, when Mrs. Hertz said, "Class, can I have your attention, please?"

Everyone looks up from their projects. Rick and Sissi put the planets and glue down, and they see a girl with black, waist-length hair, dark eyes, and a kind face. She is wearing a black shirt with rose petals in a shape of a skull, knee-length red and purple skirt, and red shoes. Mrs. Hertz s said, "Class, I would like to introduce Alexana Rites. She is new here, so I expect best behavior. Now, get back to your projects."

Everyone does, and the teacher says, "Since you're new here, you can pick which group you want to work with."

Alexana looks around, and picks the Solar System group. "Can I be in that group?"

"Sure. Why don't you get yourself acquainted?" Mrs. Hertz walks back to her desk, and Alexana walks to the group. "Hi."

Sissi looks up and says, "Hi. Come to work with us?"

"Yeah." The teen grabs an empty seat and sits next to Sissi. "So, what are you working on?"

"The Solar System. Surprisingly, It was Sissi's idea." said Rick.

"Hey!"

Alexana chuckles. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Do you know anything about wiring?" asked Rick.

"Yeah."

"Great. Because I have no clue which wire goes to which."

* * *

Rick tunes his guitar, and strums a couple of notes. Finding it right, he walks out of his room and heads for the spare room where they're making a band.

"Hi, Rick."

Rick jumps up, and turns to see Alexana. "Jeez, Alex. Try not to scare someone to death."

"Alex. I like that. So where are you going?"

"To my band." He starts to walk away, but Alex follows. "I've never seen a band before."

"Well, a band is usually four to six members. Sometimes more. And music is pretty much everywhere in the world."

"Must be cool to be in a band."

An idea pops in Rick's head. "Hey, Alex. How would you like to be in our band?"

"Really?" Alex asked, excited.

"Yeah. Just one question. How are you on keyboard?"

The teen looks him confused. "You mean a computer keyboard?"

Rick sniggers. "No. It's like an electric piano. I show you."

They head for the spare room, and Rick and Alex find Odd, Yumi, Aelita, Ulrich, and Sissi. Sissi is trying to work the video camera, while the rest tune their instruments. Yumi looks up and sees Rick. "Hey, you're finally here. Who's this?"

Sissi looks up. "Hey Alexana."

"Alexana?" asked Aelita.

"Oh yeah. Everyone, this is Alexana Rites. She's new."

"Hi." said Alex.

"I was wondering if she can be part of our band."

Yumi asks, "Can she play?"

Rick walks to the back and brings a keyboard out. "Here. Try your hands on this."

Alex walks behind the board, and tunes it to her liking. When she's done, the teen starts playing What I've Done. Odd gets to the beat, and starts the drums. Rick starts the guitar, Ulrich playing along. Alex, instead of playing the usual notes, she gives the song a keyboarding twist.

At the end, Sissi, Aelita, and Yumi clap. The band takes a bow, and Rick says, "You're awesome, Alex."

"Thank you."

"So, what do you think guys? Is she eligible for our band?"

Ulrich says, "Are you kidding? Sign her up immediately."

Rick's watch starts beeping. He looks at it, and his face turns grave. "Guys, I have to check something." He runs out, leaving everyone confused. Aelita runs after him, but loses sight of Rick. But she knows where he is going. She heads for the forest, just in time to see the sewer entrance close. Aelita runs to it and climbs down. She grabs her skateboard and rides down the sewer, trying to catch up to Rick. The pink haired girl runs across the bridge, and goes down the elevator. She walks to Rick, who is typing on the supercomputer. "Is there something wrong, Rick?"

"You know my watch has a mechanism that signals me when Mangor is attacking, right?"

"Yes."

"So, why would it be beeping if Mangor is dead?"

Her eyes widen. "You mean Mangor is alive?"

"Well, we'll see in a little bit." He continues typing. A few minutes later, a warning sign appears on the screen, and Rick says, "No. No! NO!" He pounds his fist on the keyboard, and Aelita asks, "What is it?"

"How is this possible? I killed him myself. How could he survive that and the ten thousand feet drop?"

"He's still alive?"

Rick nods. Aelita walks back to a wall, and slides down it. "So, Odd's death was for…nothing?"

"I'm afraid so."

Aelita starts crying. Rick says, "We can weep all we want later, but first we need to deactivate the tower. You ready Aelita?"

He doesn't get an answer. Rick turns, but doesn't see Aelita in her spot. "Aelita?"

"Over here, Richard."

A cold chill runs down his back, and the blood drains from his face. He turns, and a horrible sight presents itself. Mangor, standing in front of the elevator, smiles at his fear. In his hand is a sword, and it's against Aelita's neck. Cold sweat falls down her face, her fear showing in her eyes.

"Surprised Richard? I should think so."

"How…how did…" Rick stutters.

"How did I survive?" finished Mangor. "Isn't it simple?"

The answer pops in Rick's head. "It was Mangorian, wasn't it?"

Mangor laughs. "Yes. Did you forget that I am connected to Mangorian? As long as it's still alive, so am I."

"What do you want?"

"You know what I want. I want your world. And I know you'll try and stop me. So, all I have to do is use your weakness."

Rick laughs a weak laugh. "And what is my weakness?"

Mangor grins, showing his sharp teeth. "Her." He shoves the sword against Aelita's neck, making her whimper. Rick tries to hide it, but the fear builds inside. Mangor says, "I have been inside your mind. I know I've been haunting your dreams. You were afraid that I will come back one of these days. When that happens, you were going to find a way to destroy Mangorian. Anger builds inside you, as one word repeats in your head. Vengeance. That has been in your mind ever since I killed your father. But when you moved back here, and met this girl, you had a change. Instead of the maniac killer trapped in your body, you grew kinder, and your heart grew when you first laid eyes on Miss Trapped here." The blade digs so deep, blood starts trickling down Aelita's neck. Rick tries to gulp down his fear, but it is growing rapidly. Aelita faints out of fear.

"Your heart grew soft, and new fears are born. You are afraid that I will destroy the thing that you cared the most. And to think you didn't get your first date with her."

Rick never took his eyes off of the blade. Mangor continues, "And I have got to say. You two would have made a good couple. Ah well. Some love never works out."

"No. You're not going to…"

Mangor grins like a maniac. "Oh yeah. I'm going to. Say good bye, to your-"

Suddenly, Mangor gets pounded on the head with something hard. The blade falls out his hand, drops Aelita, and falls on his face. Behind him, Alex stands with a pan in her hand. "That's what you get, Mandork." He groans, and Alex bonks him on the head again, knocking Mangor out. Alex asks, "Are you okay?"

Rick nods, his voice not working right now.

"Okay. Get Aelita and let's get out of here."

Rick picks Aelita up, bridal style, and the three head to the elevator. Alex presses the button. They head up, and run back outside. Halfway across the bridge, Mangor flies down and whacks Alex to a metal beam. "That's for knocking me on the head."

He swings his sword, but Rick ducks, and kicks the monster down the bridge. He runs to Alex, and asks, "You okay?"

"Uh huh." She said, still a little shaky.

"Great. I need you to watch Aelita."

"Okay. No prob."'The boy sets Aelita down next to Alex just before something grabs his neck and throws him away.

"You cannot stop me from my destiny." Mangor said. He turns to the girls, and raises his sword, but Rick tackles him down and knocks the sword away. He punches the monsters face, but Mangor grabs his fist and punches him back. He throws his punches, but Rick blocks them, and grabs an arm, flipping Mangor around. The monster kicks Rick on the shin, grabs his neck, and swings him onto a beam. "I won't' need a sword to destroy you."

Mangor extends his claws, and was about to swipe Rick's face, when a sword swings and cuts his hand off. He turns and gets punched in the face. Mangor stumbles, letting go of Rick. He looks up and sees Aelita holding Mangor's sword. Her eyes are crazed. She runs to Rick and asks, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." He looks up and says, "Look out!" Rick pushes Aelita out of the way and grabs Mangor's fist. He punches the monster in the face, making him bleed. Mangor ignores it and kicks Rick in the chest. He then knees Rick in the face, and punches him to the edge of the bridge. Mangor walks to him, grabs his ankle, and swings him at a beam. Rick falls down, Mangor taking his time walking to him. "Love has made you weak, Richard. And blind. You should know that nothing can stop me from my fate." He charges a ball of electricity, and was about to fry Rick, when Aelita strikes him on the back. Mangor turns, and his arm turns to a stone spear. He swipes at the teen, but she dodges, and swings again. It digs into the stone, and Aelita can't budge it. She looks at Mangor, and chuckles. Mangor grabs her by the neck and raises her to eye level. Her feet dangle above the ground, and Aelita asks, "Why are you doing this?"

"My creator was wrong to shut me down. He thought that it will keep me from my destiny."

"What are you talking about?"

"This world was made for me to rule. I would have fulfilled it earlier, but you all keep getting in my way. The only way to get to my destiny is to eliminate the threats. I already got rid of one, and I'm about to get rid of another." He points the tip against Aelita's stomach, and Mangor says, "Say good bye to boyfriend."

He was about to spear the teen, when he gets tackled by Rick. Mangor drops Aelita, and the two falls off the bridge into the water.

"Rick!" Aelita screams. She runs to the edge, and looks down. She sees ripples coming from the water. Something dark floats on the water.

"No." Aelita was about to jump, when Alex grabs her shoulder and says, "Hold on."

Aelita looks at her, thinking she's crazy, and Alex points to the edge of the water. The pink-haired girl turns her head and sees Rick climbing out of the water, clutching his arm. Aelita runs down the bridge to Rick. When she gets to Rick, she gives him a hug. "I thought you were dead."

"Ow. Aelita, my arm still hurts."

"Oh, sorry." She lets go, and Alex finally catches up. "Man. You sure run fast."

"Where's Mangor?" asked Aelita.

"Right behind you."

The three turn and find the monster. Rick asks, "How could you have survived that fall? Again? I was lucky to survive that."

"I told you. As long as Mangorian survive, so do I." His hand changes to a spear with projectiles on it, and he shoots them at the three. They duck, and the projectiles fall into the water. Rick grabs one shot, and throws it at Mangor's heart. He clutches the spear, and he starts to fade.

"You haven't seen the last of me." he said before vanishing.

"Will he ever take a break?" Rick asked.

Aelita asks, "Should we tell the others?"

"No. We'll just keep this to ourselves."

Aelita looks at Alex. "What about her."

"Don't worry she's trustworthy."

Aelita isn't convinced. Rick says, "Now, let's get back. Our friends are probably worried about us."

They all head back to the sewer entrance. The two girls fall back, and Alex asks, "You like him, don't you?"

"What? Yo-you're kidding, right? I don't like him. I mean, I like him as a friend, but not that much."

Alex chuckles. "Yeah. Right. You just like him as a _friend_."

"Well…I don't know. Maybe I like him a little more than a friend."

"Are you to okay back there?" asked Rick.

"Yeah. We're fine." Alex said.


	8. Chapter 8: The Military

**Chapter 8: The Military**

On the way back to the school, Aelita is starting to have mixed feelings about Rick. Does she like him as a friend, or more than a friend? And how does Rick feel about her?

Rick climbs up the ladder, and opens the sewage opening. He helps the others up, and closes the opening. "I wonder how our friends are doing."

They heard an explosion. The three turn and see smoke coming from the direction of the school. Alex says, "I'm guessing not so well."

They run to the school, Rick's arm stinging. When Aelita, Rick, and Alex get there, a shocking scene appears. A whole army of Sharks, Krabs, Spikrelats, and Supertanks cause havoc all over the school. Students and teachers run around in panic. Some try to fight back, but are taken down quickly.

Rick says, "Aelita, you go to the south and get everyone to safety. Alex, the west. I'll go check the east, then we'll all go north. And try to find the others."

They go to their destinations, dodging the attacks from the attacking crowd. Aelita runs to the dorm building, and quickly climbs up. She hears screaming, and Aelita runs to the sound. She opens the door, and sees Milly and Tamiya cowering in a corner, a Spikrelat aiming at them. It charges its laser, and was about to shoot when Aelita swings a pole and the Spikrelat will need to quickly learn to fly.

Aelita says, "C'mon."

The girls get up and follow Aelita out of the room. They run down the hallway, then Aelita stops, hearing something. She listens for the sound, and follows it above her head. The sound gets louder, and Aelita quickly backs up, pushing Milly and Tamiya back just before Ulrich fell through the ceiling. He groans, and looks up to see legs coming down. "Whoa!" Ulrich quickly moves out of the way, and the Super Krab land on the spot Ulrich's head was. The two young girls scream, and Aelita pushes them the other way. Ulrich gets in a fighting position, and the Krab shoots. He jumps back, and kicks one of its legs. Ulrich yells in pain, and the Krab swings its leg, and Ulrich flies through the wall. "Oww. If this keeps up, I'm going to die."

He looks up, and quickly runs away as the Krab shoots at him. Ulrich runs out of the building, the Krab crashing through the wall. The teen looks ahead, and sees Yumi behind a building. She places a finger in front of her lips, and motions him to keep running. He keeps running, and passes Yumi. She jumps out and stabs the Krab with a broken hockey stick. It explodes, showering Ulrich and Yumi with pieces. Yumi asks, "Are you okay?"

Ulrich gets up and says, "Yeah. Where's Aelita?"

She comes flying towards the two, and crashes into Ulrich. Aelita groans and says, "It's a good thing I landed on something soft."

"Yeah. Problem is the soft landing is me." Ulrich moaned.

"Oh. Sorry." She gets up and helps Ulrich. "So, how did you fly and land on me?" He said as he cracks his back.

Aelita points and says, "That."

A Shark walks up, and sees the three. "You." He growled. The Shark fires at them, and they dodge the ray. The Shark shrieks in the air, and an army of Sharks appear. They surround the group, and charge their rays.

"Well, I guess this is it." Yumi said.

"Yumi, I have something to say." said Ulrich.

"What is it?"

"Well," before he finishes, something flies and lands in front of the three. Sissi, wearing large, metal gloves, pounds her fist in the ground and a wave moves around her, making the three teens fall and sending the Sharks flying.

Aelita gets up and asks, "Sissi, where did you get those gloves?"

"Rick gave them to me." She said.

"Oh." Aelita feels a little disappointed, but she shakes it off. "So where is he?"

"He was heading to the school, where the attack seems to b the biggest."

Aelita runs in that direction. Ulrich asks, "Is it me, or is Aelita a little different?"

"She _does _seem a little different ever since Rick joined our group." Yumi said.

"Do you think she has feelings for him?"

"Like you have feelings for Yumi?" asked Sissi.

Ulrich and Yumi blush, the Ulrich says, "I don't have those feelings about her."

"Then why are you two holding hands?"

They look down, and see that they are holding hands. They quickly take their hands away, blushing even more.

* * *

Rick blocks a leg with his sword. He pushes it away, and slices the legs off of the Krab. He runs to another Krab and slices through the symbol. A Krab sneaks behind him, but Alex shoots it with the high tech gun Rick made.

"Thanks." Rick said, and slices another one to pieces.

"Rick, look out!"

He turns and sees lots of Spikrelats aiming at him. _Oh crud. _They all shoot, and Aelita pushes Rick out of the way. They land on the ground, Aelita above Rick. They look eye to eye, and Aelita says, "H-hi."

"Hey." Rick said. The two blush, and was snapped back to reality by Alex. "Are you two lovebirds gonna help?"

They look and see the Spikrelats quickly overpowering them. Alex shoots down most of them, but there are too many of them. Aelita and Rick quickly get up, and Rick tosses Aelita two guns. "Here. Go crazy with them."

He charges at the Spikrelats and jumps into the forces, slashing them down. Aelita shoots the ones that are getting closer, but one sneaks behind and shoots Aelita's arm. She screams and drops the gun. She turns and tries to shoot the robot, but it shoots the gun out of her hand. Aelita backs up as the Spikrelat charges its weapon. Before it fires, Rick jumps in front of it and skewers the robot. He throws it at the other Spikrelats, and they all explode.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah. It just got me on the arm, but it doesn't hurt much."

A shadow passes them, and Aelita screams. Rick looks up and sees the Basilisk. It hisses at him, and strikes. Rick picks Aelita up and jumps away. The snake crashes on the asphalt, but it shakes it off, and hisses at them again. Alex shoots at it, but the bullets bounce off the skin.

"Uh oh." She whimpered.

The Basilisk rears its head, then a loud noise is heard, and a large shell explodes on the snakes head. It shrieks and starts to slither back. The three turn and sees a military tank, the turret aims at the giant snake.

A military man on the top of the turret yells "FIRE!"

Another shotgun shell flies and explodes on the snake. A piece of armor fall off the head, and Rick takes his chance and runs to it. The Basilisk fires at him, but he dodges them and jumps on its head.

"Hey, kid! Get out of the way!" yells the military person.

Rick ignores him and stabs the snake through the opening in its head. The Basilisk screams its head off, shaking around furiously. Rick hangs on for life, and the snake explodes. The boy flies, and lands on the ground.

"Rick!" yelled Aelita. She runs to him, and asks, "Are you okay?"

Rick groans, then says, "I survived worse."

Aelita hugs him, and Rick blushes. The person walks to them and says, "You're lucky you survived, kid."

They get up, and Rick asks, "Who are you?"

The person salutes, and says, "Sergeant Phillips, sir."

A truck drives around the tank, and stops next to it. From behind a truck, a kid rides a wheelchair around the truck and to the group. "Hey, guys."

"Jeremie. How are you doing?" Rick asked.

"Great. And I brought some help."

A person hops out of the truck and walks to them. He shakes Rick's hand, and says, "General Krillic. So you're the one that has been keeping these…monsters busy."

"Yes."

"I would like you to come with us to our base."

"Are we in trouble?"

"No. We just want to talk. You seem to know a lot about the threat, and it would help us to fight them off. Your friends are coming too."

"Okay, but if you try to use us," Rick takes out a handle and flicks it, the blade sliding out. "I'm not afraid to use this."

The general looks at the blade, and says, "Don't worry. We just want to learn more of these things." He heads back to the truck, and the three hesitantly walks to the back. Rick climbs in the back and helps Aelita up. Alex jumps up and sits down next to Aelita. Rick jumps back down and lift Jeremie up. Rick hops back on, and a soldier pound the truck. The truck drives away, the tanks follow it.

* * *

After two hours of forest, mountains, and desert, they finally get to their destination: miles and miles of nothing.

"Uh, what are we supposed to be seeing?" Rick asked, on the roof.

The general looks up and asks, "What the- how long have you been up their?"

"An hour ago? The back was starting to get boring. Rather see the scenery, even if it is lots of nothing."

"Okay." He gets out and starts walking away. Rick jumps off the roof and Alex, Aelita, and Jeremie get out of the back, and follow him. Aelita catch up to Rick, leaving Alex and Jeremie in the back. Jeremie says, "I don't think we've met. I'm Jeremie. What's your name?"

"Alex." She then whispers to herself, "But I'm pretty sure we met before."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

A truck stops behind the first, and Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd hop off. They see their friends and run towards them. Ulrich asks, "What's going on?"

"I have no idea."

He sees Jeremie, and says, "Welcome back, Jeremie."

"Thanks."

They continue walking, and General Krillic stops. He stomps the sand, and a latch opens up, a keyboard extending upward. The general taps on a few keys, and the pad retreats back to its hole. Soon, a door appears, and the general types in a code, opening a door. He walks in, and the others follow. They walk down a hallway, and stop at an elevator. It opens, and the general and teens walk in. The elevator heads down, and the general says, "If any of you says anything that is down here, then you all will be in big trouble."

The doors open, and the teen's eyes widen. In front of them is a high tech lab, scientist running around and doing all kinds of experiments. There are large jars with the weirdest stuff you can think of. In one of them, a Spikrelat tries to get out, banging on the walls and shooting the glass. Nothing works, and it keeps on jumping on the glass.

Rick asks, "How did you get a Spikrelat?"

"Sneak attack, my boy. Now, please follow me."

They walk through the lab and enter a door, where a hallway appears with doorways. The general turn to another hallway, and they follow. As they walk, Aelita sees some men with black suits talking with some soldiers. Aelita tries her best to hide behind Rick. He notices, and asks, "Had a little run in with the Men in Black?"

Aelita nods. One Man in Black looks at them with his dark glasses. Anger builds in Rick, and soon he vanishes behind a wall. They keep walking, and they enter a room with lots of screens.

General Krillic asks, "Could you tell me what this is?" He presses a button, and a gigantic monster appears on the large screen. "I once was a program, created by Christopher Vandelez, and have come to rule your world." The general pauses, and asks, "Well?"

"Uh…Rick, what did you call him?" Yumi asked.

"Mangor."

"Mangor, huh? Is it short for Mangorian?"

"How much do you know of the program?" Rick asks.

"I know that your father and her father," he points to Aelita. "Created an illegal virtual world, and created this monster as well."

"How do you know it was illegal? My father and Hopper were creating something great for the world. Or it would have been if your stupid Men in Black just kept their noses out of it."

The general waits for more to come. When it doesn't, he says, "It may have been, but then how would you explain this thing?" He points to the screen, where Mangor is still frozen.

"My dad created it so it can stop the hacks the men were trying to do. At some point, it got a mind of its own, and it wanted to rule the world."

"And why, exactly?"

"How am I supposed to know? That's pretty much-" Rick stops, hearing something. General Krillic wait for him to finish, but Rick just runs out of the room. "Hey, get back here!"

Rick doesn't listen, but keeps running to the sound. He finds himself in the artillery room, where a giant hole is. Mangor walks through the whole, as well as a couple of sharks. Rick hides behind a barrel, waiting for something to happen. He sees a gun, and grabs it just in case.

"Richard, I know you're here." Mangor taunted. He twirls his hand, and the Sharks start looking around. A Shark walks to Rick's hiding spot, and heard something in the halls. He made a growling noise, and the others follow him. They come back with the teens and General Krillic. Mangor walks to them, and says, "Well, we meet again, Krillic."

He looks at the others, and his eyes set on Aelita. Mangor lifts her chin so they're staring eye to eye. "And if you're here, than Richard has got to be here, too. Where is he, little one?"

Aelita throws her head away, and Mangor takes back the finger. "Not talkative, are you? Well, then we'll just have to loosen your tongue." He swipes his sword at Yumi, cutting her face. Ulrich tries to break for so he can punch him, but the Shark is too strong. Mangor looks at Aelita, and sees her not talking. "Strong will. Don't worry. I break it somehow."

Faster than light, the sword is on Aelita's neck. "I suggest you scream for help before you find your head on the floor."

Aelita's eyes show the fear, and Mangor smiles. Rick grabs a spear, accidentally knocking over some staffs. Mangor turns to the noise, and retracts the sword. He walks to the noise, and sees the barrel next to some fallen rods. He walks closer, and Rick jumps up and stabs him in the stomach. Mangor is taken by surprise, and Rick punches him back. He loads the gun and starts shooting the sharks. When they are free, Aelita runs and hugs Rick. He turns and sees Mangor getting up, and takes the spear out of his stomach. The hole heals, leaving him good as new.

"Nice try, but you'll have to do better." He charges him, and Rick pushes Aelita back and blocks the sword with the gun. The gun breaks in half, and Rick throws it at the monster. He slices it to pieces, and swings at the teen. Rick traps the blade between his hands, trying to push it back. Mangor pushes the blade, and Rick is starting to lose his grip. The sword starts sliding, but Rick slowly moves it to the side and let's go. It digs into a gas tank. Mangor tries to get the sword out, and Rick runs out of the room. Seconds later, the barrel explodes, and a column of flame shoots through the hall. Rick dodges behind a smaller hallway, and the flames shoot right past him. When it's over, the teen lets out a sigh of relief. He looks to check if the coast is clear, then runs down the halls. After a while, Rick turns down a hallway and stops when he feels blade on his throat. He looks and sees Aelita. "You can put the sword down, now."

She does, and asks, "What happened to Mangor?"

"For all I know, he probably got burned to a crisp."

The teen girl looks ahead, and her eyes widen. "Move!" She pushes Rick away and tries to dodge the blade coming, but she was too slow. Mangor's blade cuts her hip, and Aelita hits the wall and slowly falls. Rick punches Mangor, but he just smiles. "Is that all you got?"

He beats Rick down, and swings his sword. Rick flicks his sword out and blocks the attack. He pushes him back, and attacks. They swing their swords at each other, sending sparks everywhere. Mangor blocks Rick's sword and spins his arm, knocking the sword out of Rick's hand. He puts his sword against Rick's neck, and asks, "Have any last words?"

Rick looks over his shoulder and smiles. "Yeah. Watch out."

Mangor is confused. He turns and gets shot on the arm, making him drop his weapon. Ulrich loads another bullet, and aims the shotgun at his head. He misses, but gets his leg. Mangor falls, and looks up to see the gun pointed at him. Ulrich asks, "Time to say good bye."

Mangor laughs. "You think you can kill me? I am connected to Mangorian. As long as it lives, I will me immortal."

Ulrich shoots, and Mangor falls to the floor. He vanishes in red flames, leaving nothing behind. Rick says, "Don't think we got rid of him. He'll be back."

"I know, but I hope we get at least a week without seeing his ugly face again."

Rick walks to Aelita. "How bad is it?"

"Stings a little, but fine." Aelita answers.

Rick rips the fabric around the injury, and examines it. He rips a long strip of his shirt off and wraps it around her waist, covering the wound. "That should stop the bleeding, but we'll need some disinfectant. Can you walk?"

Aelita winces as she gets up, using the wall for support. She takes a step, and starts to fall. Rick catches her, and with the help from Ulrich, helps Aelita to the doctors. The doctor put some disinfectant on her wound, and puts some new bandages on. The general walks to Rick, and says, "You will all head back to school now. And we'll be in contact with you, Rick. To me, you're a man of many mysteries."

"You're not the only one who thinks he's a man of many mysteries." Yumi said.

* * *

** Please Review! I would really appreciate it**


	9. Chapter 9: Resistance

**Chapter 9: Resistance**

**One week later…**

The bell rings, and everyone heads out of class, and starts their weekend plans. Rick walks to his room, and drops his bag onto his bed. He sits on the bed, and picks up a picture on his desk. In the picture, a man, a woman, and a child smiles. Chris Vandelez has black hair, bright blue eyes, and a small mustache on his face. Angelina has blonde hair with red stripe, hazel eyes, and a face telling you everything will be okay. The young Rick sits on his dad shoulders, smiling.

A single tear runs down Rick's face as he remembers the fun days he had with his dad.

"Rick?"

He stumbles the picture, and puts it on the desk. Rick looks and sees Aelita at his door. "Sorry, did I come at a bad time?"

"No. I was just looking at something. From my past."

The pink-haired girl walks in and sits next to the boy. "Is there something wrong?"

Rick pauses before answering. "It's my dad."

"Are you and Chris having some trouble communicating?"

He shakes his head. "No. We actually had fun. When he was still here."

"Did he get divorced?" Aelita asked.

"No. he was murdered. By that program." Rick pounds the desk, making the picture fall. Aelita picks it up and looks at it. "So this is Chris Vandelez?"

"Yeah."

"He looks just like you."

"Except for my eyes and personality. Those are from my mom."

"Why does she have a red stripe in her hair?"

"I don't know why. It has something to do back in her high school years."

"Well, she looks beautiful with the stripe."

"Yeah. I wanted to change my hair color, but no. She gets a stripe in her hair, but not me. What is up with that?"

Aelita laughs. "Really?"

"Yeah. That doesn't sound right. She goes and buys cans of hairspray, and turn her hair red, but I can't even paint a small patch of my hair. My dad tried to reason with her, but she's as hard as granite."

"Like you?"

"Exactly!"

Aelita laughs again. Rick chuckles, then asks, "So is there a reason you came here?"

Aelita's face turns to uncertainty. "I don't know how you'll react, but…I want to explore Mangorian."

Rick stares at her. "ARE YOU NUTS?" He yells as he jumps on his feet. "Do you remember what happened the last time we went there?"

"I know that it was horrible the last time, but I have a feeling this one will be different

"And what feeling would that be?" Rick asked.

"I think there's a person in Mangorian fighting against Mangor. He could help us."

He leans against a wall, rubbing his head. "Fine. But we're getting out of there if Mangor shows up."

Aelita jumps up. "Great. I'll be in the lab." She runs out, leaving Rick behind. "This has better be worth it." He walks out, taking out his phone.

* * *

At the lab, Ulrich, Sissi, Jeremie, Odd, Aelita, and Rick wait for Yumi. The elevator opens, and she walks out. "Sorry I'm late. I had to finish a test."

"Okay, Rick. We're all here. So why did you want us to get here?" Ulrich asked.

"Ask Aelita." answered Rick, pointing at her.

She gets nervous, then says, "I was thinking of…exploring…Mangorian."

"WHAT?" everyone yells, except Rick. Ulrich says, "Aelita, that place I evil. Every single stone at that place is evil. It even took one of our friends!"

"I-I know. But…I think there is someone who…hates Mangor as much as we do." She chokes.

Jeremie says, "C'mon. That is just crazy. If there is someone besides Mangor in Mangorian, I'm pretty sure he or she would be with the monster. I'm sorry, but I am not going with this crazy plan."

Aelita starts to cry, backing into the shadow. Rick says to Jeremie, "Okay. Go ahead. Leave if you don't want to be a part of this. All of you can leave, if you want, but I'm going with Aelita. She won't be able to make it alone. So if you want to come, then step forward."

"I'm in."

They turn to see Alex at the elevator. Jeremie asks, "Alex, what are you doing here? And how did you find this lab?"

"I've been here before, when I was saving Aelita from Mangor, and I told you. I'm joining the search."

"I'm coming." Yumi said.

Ulrich watches her walk to them, then says, "I still think this is crazy, but I'll come too."

Rick says to Jeremie, "You still want to leave?"

Jeremie doesn't answer immediately. Alex says, "I'll watch the monitor if you want to go."

He looks at Alex, then says, "I'll stay here."

"Me too." Sissi said.

"Okay. Odd will stay with you three, and we'll be in the scanner room." The four head down to the scanners, and Jeremie starts the computer. When they get down there, Yumi and Aelita head in first, then Rick and Ulrich. They land in the desert sector, and their rides materialize. Rick creates his board, and Aelita hops on. They head across the digital sea, and the giant doors open. The group flies through the entrance, and land behind a building as the doors close.

"Okay, Aelita. Since you had a 'feeling' of a resistance here, do you have a feeling of where it is?"

"Uh, no." Aelita said.

"Great. Jeremie, can you do a scan of this area to find some intelligence?"

"Yeah, hold on." He types on the keyboard, and a digital Mangorian at birds-eye view appears. A green bar appears, and starts scanning up and down. A green circle keeps appearing whenever the bar passes it. "Got one. It's on the other side of Mangorian."

Rick groans. "That is going to take us forever."

"Well, you better start moving."

Rick looks around the building, seeing it clear. "Okay, let's go. And keeping your weapons out." He unsheathes his swords, Ulrich takes out his sword, and Yumi brings out her fans. They start running down the road, Rick taking the lead. Whenever they turn, Rick checks around the building, and running ahead.

At one point, Rick halts everyone, hearing footsteps. He turns his head and sees some scouts. "Crap. Everyone, inside." They all enter a house and rick closes the door. They all block the door, waiting for the scouts to leave. After a couple of seconds, the footsteps vanish, and Rick lets out a sigh of relief. "Good. They're gone." He looks up, and his eyes widen. In front of him are a mother, father, and three children all staring at them. The warriors stare back, unsure what to do. Rick opens the door, and the three warriors exit, followed by Rick. He closes the door, and Yumi says, "Well that was weird."

"Hey, Jeremie, a heads up of other beings in this place." Rick said.

"How? There's only one in this place."

"What are you scanning for?"

"The resistance in Mangorian."

Rick's eyes widen. "Run!"

They all head away from the house and an alarm sounds from it. The group hides in an alley as robots run toward the house. "That was too close."

"I'll say." said Ulrich.

"Jeremie, How far?"

"About three miles west from your position."

"Gotcha." They head west, and after two hours of running, one hiding from robots. Soon, they find themselves in front of a weird building. "Jeremie, are you sure this is it?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay." He opens the door, finding it empty. They enter the house, exploring. Finding junk, they head to the center. "I don't get it. If Jeremie says there is someone here, then why isn't there?" Yumi asked.

Suddenly, they hear a click from behind and a commanding voice. "Put your weapons down, and put your hands in the air."

The group slowly drops their weapons and raises their hands. "Now turn around."

They do, and a man appears. He is wearing a simple shirt with black jeans, and has red hair with a little grey, and a small beard. He is holding a gun, and pointing them at all of the warriors. "Tell me, what are you doing in my house, Mangor scum?"

No one answers. The man points his gun at Rick, saying, "You! You look like the leader. Now ANSWER ME!"

"Uhh, look, we're not with Mangor. Like you, we're fighting to stop him. So if you can put that gun down, I'll explain."

He puts the gun down, saying, "Why should I listen to you?"

"Because Mangor killed my friend…and my father. So I want revenge."

Yumi asks, "He killed your dad?"

"I'll explain later."

"How about explaining now." said the man.

Rick looks at him, then says, "First, put the gun down."

The man throws the gun on a table, then sits on a chair. "There. Now tell me your story."

The warriors put their hands down, and rick leans against a wall. "My father, as you know, is Chris Vandelez. He was the creator of Lyoko as well as Franz Hopper. They created MANGORIAN, but then it all went wrong. Mangor got out of control, and took control of a couple of wires, and my dad and Franz Hopper fought against it, trying to get to the computer. Mangor tried to get to me by shooting electricity at me, but my dad blocks it, but at a cost. He died as Franz unplugged the computer. After that, I wanted to kill that program."

The man says, "So, Mangor killed your father. He took my people. Looks like we both want the same thing. What about the others?"

"They're fine. But what about your side of the story?"

"Before Mangor, we lived a peaceful life. Then, earthquakes start, and Mangor takes over the place. He took my people and made them his slaves. The rest live in fear, following his orders. Except for me. I try to find his weakness, but came out empty handed. I snuck into his tower, which I have got to say is very big, but I barely survived."

Rick says, "We went inside, and lost a friend there."

"Now you know how dangerous it is there." The man gets up and asks, "Would you like some snacks?"

"No thanks."

The man walks into a kitchen fixes up a little snack for him. He says, "I don't think we were introduced. I'm Merlin."

"I'm Rick, also known as Black Shadow. This is Yumi, Ulrich, and Aelita. There is also Jeremie, Sissi, and Alex, but they're in the real world."

Merlin studies the warriors. He points to Rick and Aelita, then says, "You two seem to have a strange bond to each other."

Rick and Aelita blush, and Merlin says, "As well as you two." He points at Ulrich and Yumi. "So what are you all doing here?"

Rick says, "Aelita had a feeling about a resistance here in Mangorian. We looked around and found you."

"Yes."

"Since you seem to know more about Mangor than all of us combined, could you help us?"

Merlin ponders on the offer. "Sure I will." Suddenly, he drops his cup, which shatters on the floor. His eyes turn white, scaring the warriors. Rick asks, "Are you okay?"

"Terror. Terror is coming." His voice is replaced with a raspy sound. He points at Aelita, and says, "You will be cursed to a dark evil. It will consume you, until only madness is left." Merlin grabs Aelita and starts shaking her, scaring her even more. "A great evil. It shall destroy you and friends!"

Rick grabs Merlin and punches him into a desk, making him fall. He flips his sword with his foot, and points the blade at the man, standing in front of Aelita. Merlin shakes his head, his eyes returning to normal. He looks up and sees Rick pointing his sword at him, along with Ulrich, and Yumi reassuring Aelita. "Oh. I am terribly sorry about that." He gets up and starts to walk to them, but Rick digs his blade on his neck. Merlin says, "I am sorry. Sometimes my other side rises inside of me, bringing information of the future."

"Future? Are you saying that Aelita will be cursed to an evil, and will destroy us all?" Rick asked.

"Is that what I said? Well, you don't have to worry about it."

"Why is that?" He digs the blade deeper on Merlin's neck, making him back up. He says, "The prophesy I say most of the time doesn't ever come true."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Unless Miss Aelita unleashed a great evil. The sayings usually come true if the person did do something that will make it come true. For example, if a person kills somebody, and I say he will be haunted, then that person will be haunted by that ghost."

Rick turns his head to Aelita, and asks, "Did you?"

"No." she said, still a little pale. Merlin smiles mischievously. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"What, by chance, did you find in that room that you entered the last time you were here?"

Aelita's face turns even paler. "W-what room?"

"You know the room I'm talking about."

She turns as white as a sheet. Aelita backs up away from the maniac, and Rick says, "Stop it, now. You're scaring her."

Merlin looks at the boy, and says, "Looks like my sense is correct. You do have feelings for her, don't you?"

Suddenly, something pounds on the door. "Old man, open up! We know you're hiding the warriors."

Merlin looks at the door, then whispers, "quick, upstairs."

The warriors run upstairs just when the door gave in. It topples, and Sharks pour in the house. "Okay, old man, where are they?"

"Where are who?" Merlin asked. The Shark punches him in the stomach, making him fall. "Stop playing dumb. You know who I'm talking about." He turns to his army. "Check upstairs."

The Sharks head upstairs, and Rick closes the door. He opens the window and says, "Jeremie, we'll need our rides."

"On it."

Soon, the warriors' rides appear in mid-air, Rick creating his, and they hop on the vehicles. They fly away as the Sharks start shooting them. Rick turns back and throws his stars around the window, and explodes.

They fly back to the huge doors. But soon, rays start appearing from the tower as Sharks shoot them. Ulrich asks, "How did Mangor know we were here?"

"He must have a sense on this whole place. We need to get out of here." said Rick. Yumi points ahead and says, "We have company!"

Swarms appear from the tower, and starts shooting at them. The rays hit their vehicles, and they start falling, hundreds of feet down. Rick quickly gets a stick, and extends it into a spear. He throws it to the ground, embedding it. The spear explodes to a bed, and the warriors fall onto it. They walk off the soft landing and Ulrich says, "Man. I hope I don't have to do something like that again."

"You sure? To me that was fun." said Rick. Suddenly, a stinger inserts into the wall next to Rick's head, and he looks up to see the swarms coming. The warriors run, dodging the beams. They see the doors, but stop as the barrier appears. An army of Sharks wait, and surround them. The warriors ready their weapons, as the enemy waits. Ulrich looks around, then asks, "Why aren't they attacking?"

A shriek calls, and Rick sees a Basilisk appear. "Great. Not that thing again." He turns to the others, and says, "You get the Sharks. The Snake is mine."

The sharks fire and everyone attacks. Rick dodges the rays and throws five stars at the Basilisk's head. They explode, making the snake shriek again. He jumps on the head, and finds a notch in the head. "Wow." He digs his sword into the notch, making the snake fall to pieces.

Yumi attacks some sharks, and throws her fans at the Swarms. They all explode, and Yumi grabs her fans again. She feels a presence behind her, and turns to see Mangor. He swings, but Yumi blocks it with her fan. She jumps back and throws her fans at the monster. He grabs the fans, to Yumi's surprise, and shatters them.

"Nice try, Yumi."

She backs up into a wall, and Mangor swings his sword around. He stops, then thrust his sword at Yumi. But Ulrich gets in the way and blocks the sword. Mangor's eyes widen, and Rick kicks him into the air. Aelita shoots an energy field at the monster, sending him into a building, which crumbles on top of him.

Rick throws a row of throwing stars at the sharks, and it all explodes, clearing a path. The warriors run to the doors, and quickly open them. They run out of Mangorian, but fall off, heading for the digital sea. Yumi screams, "Jeremie, we need some help!"

"I'm going as fast as I can." said Jeremie. "I'll virtualize your vehicles."

"No time!" Rick forms his board, then it grows longer, wider, and the spikes grow longer. He throws it, and the board hovers above the sea. Rick lands, and flies around, collecting the others. He catches Aelita in his arms, and flies back to the desert land. Ulrich, Yumi, and rick hop off the board, and Rick puts Aelita on her feet. Ulrich runs away from the edge and says, "Okay. I don't care if all of you want to go back, but I am not going there ever again."

"At least we're not the only one who is fighting against Mangor." Yumi said.

"Yeah. Maybe he can help us find his weakness." He turns around and sees Aelita staring where the doors are. "Aelita, are you okay?"

She turns, and says, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay. Jeremie, you can devirtualize us now."

Ulrich vanishes, then Yumi, then Rick. Aelita looks back to the doors, remembering the face that has haunted her. She devirtualizes, and everyone heads back to school.


	10. Chapter 10: Activated Towers pt 1

**Chapter 10: The Towers Activate part I**

In the dorm, Jeremie snores in the dark. Suddenly, his computer starts beeping, and a symbol of a tower appears, blinking black. Jeremie grabs his clock and throws it towards the noise. "Ten more minutes."

In Rick's room, his watch beeps. Rick picks it up and turns it off. "I have got to remember to turn off my alarm." He puts it back and goes back to sleep.

In Lyoko, five towers glow black, and robots come and guard the towers.

Back on Earth, a black mist comes out and surveys the road. Then it floats along it, heading for school. _If I can't destroy you in my world, then I'll destroy you all in your own world._ Evil laughter sounds from the mist, as it passes the gates and heads for Kadic High.

* * *

"Okay, class, I'll be expecting your homework on my desk on Friday." Mr. Dallas said. Everyone heads out, and Rick and Jeremie head to the vending machine. They see Odd, Sissi, and Aelita there. "Hey, Aelita." said Rick.

She turns and says, "Hi."

"Where are the others?" Jeremie asked.

"Ulrich said he had something to do with Yumi." Sissi said. "If you ask me, I think they're going on their first date. Hey, Rick. When are you and Aelita going on a date?"

They blush, and Rick says, "Uh, we're not really that close."

"Y-yeah. We're just friends." Aelita said.

Sissi smiles. "Sure you are."

"What about Alex?" Jeremie asked.

"She headed for her room. I don't know why though."

Rick's watch starts beeping again. He turns it off, then says, "This thing is really getting on my nerves."

"What's wrong with it?" Aelita asked.

"This thing keeps beeping, no matter how many times I turn it off."

Jeremie says, "It even beeped in class. Mr. Dallas had to take it away and put it in a soundproof safe."

"Can I see that?"

Rick gives the watch, which has started beeping again, to Aelita. She looks at it, then asks, "Is it supposed to show a blinking eye?"

Rick takes it back and examines. "It must be malfunctioning. It hasn't done this for a while." He presses a different button, then puts it back on. "I'll check it out later. So what are we going to do today?"

"How about-" before Aelita can finish, everyone says, "No."

"Okay. It was just a suggestion."

"How about we study?" suggested Odd. Everyone laughs at his joke. A mist floats by Rick, and he stops laughing, feeling a chill. He turns around, but doesn't see anything.

"Is there something wrong, Rick?" Aelita asked.

"I thought I felt a familiar presence."

They look around, but don't see anything. Sissi says, "Maybe we should get you out of school. I know, let's go shopping!"

"Really? Go shopping?"

"Yeah. I need some new dresses, and I can show Aelita some new looks. You, Odd, and Jeremie can look at some guy stuff."

"Fine." Rick sighs.

"Great! C'mon." She grabs his wrist and pulls him with her, and she grabs Aelita's wrist as well. Jeremie and Odd look at each other, then runs to catch up.

* * *

At the theater, Ulrich and Yumi walk out, carrying soda and popcorn. Ulrich says, "That was the best horror movie I have ever seen."

"I'll say."

They head to Yumi's house, and Ulrich says, "Well, here we are."

"You know, Ulrich, I had fun with you." said Yumi.

"You did?"

"Yeah. And I hope we'll have another movie night." She kisses Ulrich on the cheek, making him go stiff. "Bye, Ulrich." Yumi waves and heads for her house. Ulrich stays on the spot for a couple of seconds, then says, "Yes." He whistles as he walks toward the school.

Yumi enters her house, and finds her brother, Hiroki, playing his game. "Hey, big sis, how was your date?"

"It was, pretty good."

"Finally! You admit that you went to a date with your boyfriend Ulrich."

Yumi smiles. "Yeah. Hey, where are mom and dad?"

"There at the store."

"Okay." Yumi heads to her room as Hiroki resumes his game. He doesn't see black mist float behind him. It stops behind his back, and attacks the boy. "Hey! What the heck?" He drops his game and tries to get the mist off. It floats inside his mouth, and Hiroki falls to all four. His ears turn pointed, he grows claws, and his teeth sharpen. He opens his eyes, his pupil replaced with Mangor's symbol.

"Destroy Lyoko Warriors." He growls. Hiroki heads upstairs, to Yumi's room.

Yumi changes her shirt, which got dirty from a spilt soda. She takes out her four pictures she and Ulrich took in a picture booth. She smiles at the funny pics, then hears her door creak. Yumi turns and sees her brother at the door. "Hey, Hiroki. What do you want?"

He walks out of the shadow, showing the changes on him. "Hiroki, you look a little different. Is there something wrong?"

Hiroki growls, then jumps on Yumi. "Hey!" She grabs his shirt and throws him on the wall. He falls and breaks the drawers. "What's gotten into you?"

"Master wants you and the others destroyed." he growls.

Yumi raises an eyebrow. "Xana?"

Hiroki jumps and Yumi grabs his arms. She takes a closer look at his eyes, which flashes the symbol. "Mangor."

Hiroki pulls his arm away from Yumi's and rakes Yumi's face. "Ow!" screams Yumi. He grabs her shirt and throws Yumi out the window. She screams, and falls into Ulrich's arms. "Whoa. Yumi, why are you falling from the sky?"

"My brother's been possessed." she said.

"By Xana?"

"No. Mangor."

They hear a roar, and Ulrich looks up to see Hiroki at the broken window. "Perfect. Now I can destroy you both." He jumps and lands on his feet, cracking the pavement. He breaks a pole, twirling it around his body.

"Man, Mangor's a ninja." Ulrich said, putting Yumi down. "Go warn the others. I'll keep your brother busy."

"But, Ulrich-"

"Now!"

Yumi hesitates, then gives him a quick peck. "Be careful." She runs to the school, while Ulrich gets in a fighting position. "Okay, Mangor, let's see what you got."

Hiroki roars, running at the teen. Ulrich dodges the pole and kicks the boy in the chest. The boy grabs Ulrich's arm and throws him into the forest. He lands, painfully, on the grass. "Ow. Man, he is strong for a little guy."

He gets up and hears rustling. Ulrich hides behind a tree as Hiroki appears. He looks around, but doesn't find him. He growls and runs in a direction. Ulrich watches him go, then asks, "Is he going to the mall?"

Ulrich follows him, texting Yumi.

* * *

"So Aelita, what do you think?" Sissi asked.

Aelita looks over dressing room doors. "Wow, that's cute."

"Thanks. Now c'mon. I wanna see your clothes."

Aelita exits the room, showing the pink top, purple skirt, and a purple headband. She twirls around, and Sissi says, "It looks okay, but I saw a cute dress that would go well with you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'll just change and go get it." She heads back in the dressing room, and Aelita goes back in hers. She changes back to her usual clothes, and heads out, looking through the shirts and skirts and dresses. She sees a shadow, and looks up to see a small boy. "Uh, are you looking for someone?"

The boy walks in and grabs a dummy, and throws it at Aelita. She dodges it, and looks up to see the kid flying toward her. Aelita moves out of the way, and sees the kid more clearly. "Hiroki?" What are you doing here?"

"Finishing my mission." he said. Aelita examines him and sees claws, sharp teeth, and pointed ears. He growls and grabs Aelita's wrist, and throws her out of the store. He turns and sees Sissi walking out of the dressing room. "Hiroki? What are you doing?"

He jumps and tries to claw Sissi's face, but she dodges and runs out of the store.

* * *

Rick and Jeremie head out of the tech store, Rick's eyes drooping. Jeremie says, "I can't believe you slept half way through the tutorial."

"It's not my fault that tech's history can be boring. I wanted to search through the store with the guns or the CD's."

"You could have gone there. I wouldn't mind."

"Yeah, right. You pretty much pulled me into that store. Hey, do you hear that?"

They look around, trying to find the noise. Suddenly, Rick is slammed by something large. He falls down, the something on him. He looks up and sees Aelita on top of him. "Aelita, get off me."

"Sorry." She gets up and helps Rick. He asks, "Why were you flying, anyway?"

"Well," Aelita started, but they hear Sissi screaming. "Rick, there's something wrong with Hiroki."

She hides behind him, and Rick asks, "Hiro-who?"

"Hiroki. Yumi's little brother." She points, and Rick sees a boy walking towards them. "Are little bothers supposed to have claws and fangs?"

"No, unless they had a weird father." Jeremie said.

Hiroki grabs a stand, making the sunglasses fall to the ground, and throws it at Rick. He dodges, and says, "What's up with him?"

"Hey, kid." Hiroki turns and sees a mall cop. "Those are mall property. Your mother will be hearing from me."

Hiroki jumps on the cop and bites him on the arm. He clutches his arm, then he grows claws, teeth, and pointed ears. Jeremie says, "Haven't seen that when Xana possessed someone."

"That's because that's not Xana. It's Mangor." Rick said.

The cop takes out his gun and starts shooting at them. The warriors hide behind a pillar, as Hiroki runs down the mall. "Where's he going?" Sissi asked.

"I'm guessing to get an army." Rick said.

He looks around and finds a hunting store. "Keep him busy. I need to get something."

"Okay." Aelita runs out of her hiding spot and yells, "Hey, Mangor! You want to kill me? Well, here I am!"

The cop looks and starts shooting at her. Rick took this chance to run to the store. He gets there and finds it empty. "Where are the minimum wagers?"

His question is answered when the person jumps out, baring fangs. Rick dodges and grabs his shirt. He punches him in the nose, knocking him out. Blood pours out of his nose, and Rick runs down the alleys, looking for a gun. He finds a tranquilizer gun, and grabs a couple of darts. "This should work."

Aelita looks around, wondering why the gunshots stop. The cop has vanished, and she walks out of her hiding place. Sissi yells, "Look out!"

She turns and sees the cop falling from the ceiling. Aelita jumps out of the way and the cop breaks the floor. He turns and starts to walk toward the pink-haired girl, but stop as a dart appears on his neck. The cop falls on the floor and starts to snore. Aelita looks around and sees Rick loading another dart. "What is that?"

"Ever seen a tranquilizer before?" he said, grinning. "Here. I got some smaller ones for you." He throws smaller guns at Aelita, Sissi, and Jeremie. "Now let's find the main problem in Lyoko."

"Uh, we may a small problem." Jeremie said, pointing ahead. They turn and see a whole army of possessed, Hiroki in the front. "Okay, we'll take the back way."

They start running. Some possessed jump out, but Rick shoots them with a dart, knocking them out. They see the back door, and run out of the building. Rick's eyes widen. "Oh, snap."

An army faces them. Behind them, Hiroki comes out, smiling. "Now time for your demise, Lyoko warriors."

"Uh, Hiroki, right?" guessed Rick.

"Yes."

"Okay. Do you know where Yumi and Ulrich are?"

"Last time I saw Ulrich, he fell somewhere in the forest. Quit you stalling!"

Rick shoots him with the tranquilizer. Hiroki falls, and he throws a smoke bomb on the ground. When the mist vanishes, the teens have disappeared.

* * *

Jeremie, Sissi, Aelita, and Rick run through the forest. They stop to catch their breath. "Sooner or later, I'll run out of darts."

Jeremie says, "If only we have a way to change the people back."

One person drops from the tree, almost smashing Sissi. She runs away, and Rick was about to shoot him, but the possessed knocks it out of his hands. He grabs Rick's neck, and was about to choke him to death, when he gets shocked. Unfortunately, Rick got shocked as well. They both fall, and Alex appears behind them. "Hey guys. Missed me?"

Rick gets up and asks, "Why did you shock me? I almost died."

"Sorry. It wasn't my fault that he grabbed you."

"True." said Jeremie.

"So what's that machine you're holding?"

Alex looks at the gun, then says, "It's a gun that will turn the possessed people back to normal."

"Wow. What luck." Aelita said.

"Okay. You and Sissi shoot the people back to normal, and me, Jeremie, and Aelita will go to Lyoko, as well as find Ulrich and Yumi."

"Don't worry. We're right here."

Yumi and Ulrich emerge from the trees. "Had a little run in with my brother."

"Yeah. We did too." Sissi said. "Man that kid can fight."

"You're telling me. C'mon. The sooner we deactivate the tower, the better." Rick said.

They all run to the sewer entrance, and Alex and Sissi run back to the mall. The warriors ride to the factory, and Jeremie starts the process, and the others head for the scanners. They get virtualized, and land in the forest sector. "Okay, Jeremie, where's the tower?" Yumi asked.

"It's due north, northw-wait this can't be right."

"What is it, Einstein?" Rick asked.

The computer says there are five towers activated."

Yumi asks, "What? Where are they?"

"There is one in all the sectors and another one in-"

"Please don't say Mangorian." Ulrich said.

"Don't worry. It says it's in Carthage." Jeremie said.

"Great. That's doesn't really help. Carthage is as big as New York City and as confusing." said Rick.

"Okay, I get it. It looks like each of you will go to a sector and defeat the monsters guarding it. Then you can wait for Rick to deactivate."

"I have a better idea." Rick said. He creates a screen and types a few words in it. Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita starts to glow, then vanishes. "There. The towers should recognize my permission."

"Great job, Rick."

"Okay. Yumi, you'll take the forest sector, Ulrich will take the desert sector, Aelita the ice sector and I'll take the mountains. " Rick said.

"Okay, let's go." Ulrich said.

Their rides appear, Rick creating his, and they ride to their sector. Yumi rides to it, looking for monsters.

"By the way, guys, where's the Odd clone?" Jeremie asked.

"I think he's still in the store." Rick said.

* * *

"There you go, sir." The cash register person said, giving Odd his videogame.

"Thanks." Odd leaves the store, and says to himself, "this should be fun. I wonder if the real Odd will like it. He should because I like it."

He looks up and sees an army of possessed people. "Uh, oh. This can't be good."

They start to chase him as he runs out of the mall.

* * *

"I hope he's not in trouble." Rick said.

Yumi flies past trees and shrubs, and finds the tower guarded by Super Krabs. "Great." She slows down and tries to sneak behind them, but one crab turns and fires. Yumi jumps and hides behind a boulder. The Krabs keep shooting at the rock, and Yumi throws her fans, slashing both robots. They keep shooting, and Yumi says, "Aw, c'mon! I would like some help here!"

"_You got it, Yumi." _Rick said.

"Rick, where are you?"

"_In your mind."_

"How are you in my head?"

"_While I was creating a tower access, I also created an empathy link between the four of us. Now we can talk to each other at long distances."_

"_To me, this is really cool." _Ulrich said.

"_And for your help…"_

Fans appear in her hands, and the spikes grow longer. "Alright. Now we're talking." She throws them, and they shoot out spikes, cutting through the metal, and they explode. Yumi grabs her fans and sheathes them. "That's better."

She starts walking to the tower, but gets shot in the leg. Yumi looks and sees two Spikrelats and a Supertank. "These things are never easy. Why can't it be easy for one day?"

"_Then it wouldn't be as fun._" Rick said.

"Shut up." Yumi throws her fans, destroying the Spikrelats, but the tank blocks it with its shell. It opens and shoots Yumi, but she dodges it, and something falls out of her pocket. "Huh?"

She picks it up to see a bomb in a shape of a thick nail. She throws it and in embeds in the ground in front of the Supertank. It explodes, sending the tank over the edge. "Thank you." She walks to the tower and phases into it. She heads for the center and floats to the second level. A screen appears, and Yumi places her hand on it.

**Yumi. Acceptance: Black Shadow**

**Code: Lyoko X**

"Okay Jeremie, the tower is deactivated."

"Good job, Yumi. Now all we got is four more towers."

"I'll head for the mountain sector." Yumi walks to the edge and falls down the tower.

* * *

In the desert sector, Ulrich rides his Overbike to the activated tower. "This would explain how Mangor can spread his virus easily."

"Yeah. Hopefully the girls are taking care of things." said Jeremie.

Up ahead, Ulrich sees the tower, guarded by three Widows and a Super Krab. "Great. This should be fun."

"_Rick, could I have an upgrade on my weapon?"_

"_Sure. Hold on a sec."_

Soon, Ulrich's sword glows, extending and growing spikes on the back. The glow evaporates, and Ulrich says, "Thanks."

He rides across the sand, and the Widows start firing at him. Ulrich rides around the beams, and swings his sword. A beam shoots out, absorbing the rays and slashing the Widow. Ulrich keeps swinging until the first widow explodes. The Krab waits, and shoots the bike, devirtualizing it. The samurai jumps and throws his weapon, which flies through the air and drives in itself into the symbol. He grabs it and energy courses through the sword, exploding the Krab. "Two down, two to go."

Ulrich gets shot in the back, and he turns to see the Widow aiming at him.

"Careful, Ulrich. One more shot and your down." said Jeremie.

"Got it." He swings, destroying another Widow. Ulrich looks around, trying to find the last one. He hears mechanics behind him, and jumps just before the Widow's ray got him. The samurai swings his sword, slicing the robot, and digs the blade into its head. The Widow stumbles and Ulrich hops off before it blasts apart. Ulrich extends his arm, and grabs his sword in midair.

He runs to the tower, and phase through the wall. Ulrich floats to the top floor, and places his hand on the screen.

**Ulrich. Acceptance: Black Shadow**

**Code: Lyoko X**

Ulrich exits the tower, saying, "Tower deactivated, Jeremie."

"Good job. Now head for the mountain sector. Yumi should be there."

Ulrich starts to turn, but gets shot and devirtualized. "What?"

The s warrior walks out of the scanner and climbs the ladder. "Jeremie, you could have given me a warning."

"I'm sorry, but I didn't even see the robot on my screen." Jeremie said.

"Great. Invisible robots. What's next, Colossus?"

"Even if it's invisible, I would have still seen it."

Ulrich says, "Looks like Mangor is getting smarter."


	11. Chapter 11: Activated Towers pt 2

**Chapter 11: The Tower's Activate part II**

Aelita rides her Overboard across the Ice sector, enjoying the view. "Jeremie, where's the tower?"

"Just keep going straight. You should literally hit it if you do."

"Got it."

Suddenly, her waist starts to glow, throwing Aelita off the board. She falls and lands on her feet, looking at the glow. "What's going on?"

The radiance disappears, leaving a holster behind with a gun in it. Confused, Aelita grabs the gun and takes it out of the holster. "What's this?"

"_It's a special gun I made._" said Rick. "_When you fire at an enemy, you get complete control over them. But be careful. It only has enough energy for two shots._"

"Thanks, Rick." Aelita hops back on the board, and continue her traveling. "Jeremie, how long until I find the tower?"

"You should hit it in three, two, one."

Aelita's face gets planted on something hard. She slides down, rubbing her head. "Jeremie, I think I ran into it."

"So that's why you lost twenty life points."

The pink-haired girl feels around the empty air, feeling the tower. She was about to phase into it, when she gets shot on the arm. Aelita turns and sees a Supertank, two Widows, two Super Krabs, five Spikrelats, and three Sharks.

"Why did Mangor send a whole army after me?"

"He must've thought Rick would go after the Ice sector tower." Jeremie said.

The Supertanks open fire, and Aelita hides behind a huge ice block. Small pieces fly off as the army shoots it. Aelita says, "I'm going to need some help here."

"Sorry, but everyone is busy doing their towers."

"_Use the gun." _Rick said.

The warrior takes the gun and pops her head over the block. She aims, and fires at the Supertank. A circular beam shoots out, and envelops the tank. It turns and starts firing at the others, but the Sharks fire it to pieces.

"That didn't last long."

Jeremie hears the elevator descending, but doesn't know why. "Huh?" He waits for the doors to open, but doesn't.

The block breaks to pieces, and Aelita walks back. Her back slams against the wall, and the army faces her, charging. Suddenly, a beam flies and destroys a Krab. They turn and see another army of Xana's robots.

"Well, this is unexpected." said one Shark.

They open fire, and the army's clash. Aelita says, "Jeremie, I think you want to see this."

"OK, I'll get a visual." Jeremie types on her keyboard, and a screen appears, revealing the battle. "Wow. This is a first for me."

"I think it's a first for everyone."

"_What is?" _Yumi asked.

"A whole army of Xana's robots fighting Mangor's army." answered Aelita.

"_Whoa. That is just weird."_

Suddenly, she is wrapped by tentacles. Aelita screams, but a voice says, "Don't worry. I won't hurt you."

Aelita turns and sees Alex riding the Scyphozoa. The warrior's eyes widen at the sight. "Alex? How are you riding the Scyphozoa? And how did you get here?"

"You still haven't figured it out yet?" Alex said, smiling. The squid starts flying away from the battle, heading for the invisible tower. "I thought my name would give it away. At least Jeremie should have figured it out. I'm surprised he hadn't."

"Isn't your full name Alexana?"

"Yeah."

"But…Xana?"

She grins, her eyes reverting to the symbol. "Finally."

"Is that really you, Xana?" Jeremie asked.

"Yes."

"But how?"

I talked to Richard one day,"

"_I like to be called Rick."_

"Right. Anyway, I asked him if he can help me make a body, so he took some DNA from a random person, and I just entered the body, and started your school."

They land on the ice, and Alex hops off and walks to empty air. She extends her arm, and the tower appears, glowing black. "There you go."

"Thanks." said Aelita, a little suspicious.

"Don't worry. I'm your friend."

The pink-haired teen runs into the tower and deactivates it. Alex phases in, and Aelita says, "Okay Jeremie, what should I-we do now?"

"You two should head for the mountain sector. Rick should be there."

The girls drop off the platform and falls into another tower. They phase through the wall, finding themselves in the mountains. Alex whistles, and a Manta flies over the ground, landing next to Alex. She hops on, and asks, "You want one?"

"I think I'll stick with the Overboard." Aelita said.

It virtualizes, and Aelita jumps on, then the girls fly east.

* * *

Rick jumps off his board and destroys another Swarm. He lands on the board, and throws his star at the last Swarm. He looks around, trying to find the tower. "Okay, tower. Where are you?"

Rick looks down, and finds the glowing top of the tower."You've got to be kidding me. Yo, Mangor, how 'bout sending a Basilisk or something?"

The warrior flies down, and lands next to the tower. He leans on it, and yells, "I'm not going to deactivate this tower until I get a challenge."

"How about fighting one of my robots?"

He turns his head and sees Aelita and Alex flying toward him. "Hey Alex. And no. Your robots are really weak compared to Mangor's beasts."

Alex puts her hand against her heart, in a sarcastic sadness. "That hurt's."

"Oh, stop it."

He enters the Tower and places his hand on the screen.

**Rick**

**Code: Lyoko X**

He walks out, and asks, "Where's the rest?"

"Yumi is coming, but Ulrich got devirtualized." said Jeremie.

"Tell Yumi we'll be at the edge of Lyoko. C'mon, gals."

They hop on their rides, and travel to the edge. They get there, and wait for Yumi to find them. She runs to them, and Jeremie types in the code: Sipio. A floating sphere appears, and it takes the warriors to Carthage. They travel to the bright light, and pass through panels of data, and a silver blue sphere appears. It enters the opening, and lets the teens off in the Arena. When the entrance opens, and they run to the Core Zone. "Okay. Two minutes and thirty seconds to find the key."

Rick looks around, and spots the key. "There. Problem is it's on the ceiling."

"No prob." Alex snaps her finger, and the Scyphozoa and a Manta appears. Yumi stares wide eyes. "How did you do that?"

"Yumi, this is Xana." Aelita said.

Yumi's eyes widen. "What?"

"Yep. So, you want the easy way, or the fun way?"

Rick smiles. "I'll take the fun way." He hops on the squid, and it starts to rise. All of a sudden, Mangor's Creepers start shooting. They look like killer centipedes with a snake's tail, and sharp armor. Rick blocks the shots and throws stars at them, as the Scyphozoa floats higher. One Crawler grows wings and flies to Rick. "Crap."

He throws his sword at the symbol, making it explodes, but before it shoots a beam. It hits the Scyphozoa waver, making Rick fall. Yumi uses her quick thinking and uses her telekinesis to stop Rick falling, and floats him back to the key.

"Only one minute left." Jeremie said.

"That's not enough time. Yumi, try doing it faster."

"I'm trying to." Yumi struggled. She focuses her powers even more, making the boy float up faster. He was about to touch the key, when Yumi falters, and Rick starts falling. Thinking fast, he grabs one of his stars and throws it to the button.

"Five, four, three, two…"

The star explodes, pushing the key and deactivating the Core. Rick grabs a ledge as everything moves around. He moves across the ledge until a floor is beneath his feet. Rick lets go and drops onto the floor next to Aelita. "Okay. Let's find the tower."

The Lyoko Warriors run through the opening, and head for the elevator. When it comes, they all hop on it. As the elevator moves, Rick creates a screen and types in a destination. "This should take us to a hallway. Now all we have to do is find where that tower is."

The elevator stops, and they all run through the hallway. The teen heroes stop in a room full of hallways. Yumi asks, "Which hallway?"

Rick scans the room, then says, "We'll split into groups of two. Alex and Yumi, take that hallway. Me and Aelita will take this hallway."

"Do I have to be with Xana?"

"C'mon. I'm not that bad." said Alex.

"She's fine. Okay, mark an edge so you know you already took that hallway. If you end up back here, take another hallway and-well you know what do to."

Aelita asks, "How will we know if we get back into this hallway?"

Rick takes his sword and makes a symbol on the floor in the middle of the room. "Okay. Let's go."

The groups take their hallways, expecting for something to pop out. Yumi stays away from Alex. She notices, and asks, "What's wrong?"

"I'm just not so sure about you. You tried to destroy me and the others, and you stole Aelita's memory. You pretty much tried to destroy Lyoko."

"Because I thought it would destroy Mangorian. I would have succeeded, until you all brought my home back. True, I did try to kill you all, but only to keep you from discovering Mangorian and turning it back on."

"We don't even know how we brought it back. All we were doing was keeping you from destroying us. By the way, what happened to William?"

"Who?"

"The kid you possessed."

"Oh yeah. I forgot about him. You want me to bring him back?"

"Yes." Yumi answered.

"Wonder how Ulrich's going to feel."

"You know we can hear you back here." Ulrich said.

"Right." Alex waves her hand, and a hologram appears. Soon, William materializes and he bows. "Master."

She snaps, and William looks up. He looks around, and asks, "Where am I?" William sees Yumi, and says, "Yumi? Is that you?"

"Welcome back William." Jeremie said.

The raven hair teen looks around, trying to find the noise. "Jeremie? What is going on? All I remember is a giant squid coming after me. And who's this?"

"William, slow down. You are in Sector 5, and this is Alex, or Xana." Said Yumi.

"Xana?" William raises his giant sword and swings at the teen. Alex ducks, and the blade digs into the wall. "Whoa. Wait, I'm sorry that I possessed you, but it was all for a good cause."

"I'll show you a good cause." He brings his sword up, and was about to slice Alex in half, when Yumi got in the way. "Stop William. We have a bigger villain here."

"Yeah, and who's that?"

"A program called MANGORIAN."

"Like I'm going to believe that."

Jeremie says, "She's not kidding. That program tried to kill us. He already did to one of our friends."

William puts his sword down, and asks, "Who died?"

"Odd."

"Oh. I like that kid. He was pretty cool."

"Now, please leave Xana alone. Even though I'm not so sure myself, she's our friend." Yumi said.

"Fine. So what are we looking for anyway?" William asked.

"We are looking for an activated tower glowing black. Let's go." The three run down the hallway, looking out for monsters. William hears a growl, and motions everyone to stop. "Ready your weapons."

A mega Manta flies through the hallway, shooting the warriors. William blocks the shots, and says, "This Manta look way different from the others."

"That's because that Manta is Mangor's. And they are way more powerful." Yumi said. She throws her fans, but the Manta shoots them off course. William flies in the air and swings his mega sword down, digging into the skin. He smiles, and says, "Good-bye, ugly."

It bucks, shaking William off, and sending his sword away. "What? That should have killed it."

"Apparently they have more life points." Alex said. She takes out two guns and start shooting the monster. She gets a lucky shot, destroying the Manta. "There. Finally dead."

William grabs Zweihander, and says, "Let's keep going."

They run down the hallway, and appear in a large room, finding a bizarre scene.

* * *

Aelita and Rick run through the hallway, finding different hallways. They take one hall, Rick marking the hallway.

"Rick, there's something I've been wanting to tell you." Aelita said.

Rick stops and turns back to Aelita. "What would that be?"

'Well, since you came to our school, I had some…mixed feelings about you."

He raises an eyebrow. "Mixed-feeling about me?"

"Yeah. I mean, we're great friends and all, but spending time with you, made me realize how much-" Suddenly, she gets shot back. Rick unsheathes his swords with superhuman speed, and turns to find nothing. "What the-?" He listens to the sound, and heard something behind him. He turns and blocks a beam coming after him, and throws a star at the direction. A shark falls off the shadow, and Rick stabs him while falling. It explodes, and the warrior runs to Aelita. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Except is that you only have forty life points left." Jeremie said.

"C'mon. Let's find that tower." They continue their running, and come to a room with a deep fall on the sides. At the far end of the area is the tallest tower ever, glowing black. Rick looks around, finding it empty. "Where are the guardians?"

"I don't know. Maybe we'll get a break for once." Said Aelita.

"Or maybe they were waiting for you two."

The warriors turn and see their worst nightmare. Rick growls, "Mangor."

Mangor chuckles. "Thought I gave up? If you did, then you will die quickly."

The Lyoko Warrior brings his blades out, saying, "Who said I thought you were gone? I was always expecting you to come back."

"Well, let's continue our battle, shall we?" Mangor brings his sword on the ground, making it quake. Rick jumps and lands on a Manta, Aelita trying to keep her balance. Rick stabs the monster, and jumps to the next Manta and slashes that one. He falls to the ground, and Mangor kicks him in the back. "Give up, Richard. Even now, my evil spreads across this land. Soon, I shall have control over all of Lyoko, and then the world!"

"As long as I still live, you shall never take my father's creation!" yelled Rick, jumping up and attacking the monster. His eyes widen as the teen attacks with superhuman strength. He blocks it, but gets pushed back. As he attacks Mangor, Aelita fight off the Sharks. She takes down two, but one grabs her from behind, and throws her to the edge. Aelita starts to fall, but quickly grabs the edge. She looks down, and sees the outside of Carthage. "Rick, help!"

He looks toward the scream, and sees Aelita starting to lose her grip. Taking the chance, Mangor slashes Rick, and he falters. "So long, Richard Vandelez."

He was about to devirtualize the teen, when a giant sword blocks Mangor's attack. His eyes widen, and turn to see a raven-haired boy wearing a black suit with a symbol in the middle. "So you're Mangor. I have got to say, that is a nice style for you."

He pushes the monster's sword away and swing Zweihander at him. It slashes Mangor across the side, and he growls. "Who are you? I don't remember you."

"My names William. Used to be a servant to Xana, but was freed."

Mangor turns his head and sees Yumi and Alex running to Rick. He roars, and swings his sword into the ground again. Everything starts to shake, and William falls on his butt. He sees the monster running toward Yumi, who's is facing the other way. He starts to run toward him, and turns to black smoke, which speed past Mangor. He transforms back, and blocks to shot. "Whoa. I can still do that?"

"Yes. It has now become your Lyoko Power." said Alex.

"So that means I have control over your monsters, too?"

She nods, and William pushes Mangor back. He waves his hand, and Manta's appear, which starts shooting at Mangor.

Rick looks up and sees a stranger fighting Mangor. He is confused, then remembers something. He gets up and starts running to the edge, where the Sharks are trying to make Aelita lose her grip. "Say good-bye, girlie." One Shark said. He was about to shoot, when Rick pushes him off. He falls to his doom, and the warrior slashes the others to pieces. Rick tries to grab Aelita's hand, but it slips, and Aelita falls. Thinking like a crazy person, he jumps down and freefalls past Aelita, and digs his swords into the wall before he falls out of the sphere. Rick grabs Aelita's hand, and puts her on his back. "Hold on tight."

Aelita squeezes his shoulders, making Rick gasp. "Too tight." He starts scaling the wall, digging his swords into the wall while climbing up. When he gets even with the floor, Rick sees a little problem. "Great. Looks like we're stuck."

He looks around, and sees William riding a Manta. He floats to the two, and asks, "You two lovebirds need a lift?"

"Ha ha. You're hilarious." Rick said, landing on the back of the Manta. Aelita slides off his back, and William orders the Manta to fly back to the battle. "Aelita, get to the tower. I'll take care of Mangor."

"Good luck." She said, and gives Rick a quick peck on the cheek. He blushes, then jumps to the ground. Mangor grabs Yumi and throws her away, then slashes a Krab. He looks up and sees swords falling toward him. The monster jumps back as Rick digs his blade into the ground. "You are so dead!" yelled Rick.

He goes after Mangor, and the two battles to the death. As they fight, William takes Aelita to the glowing tower, and Yumi runs after them. Mangor swings, making Rick duck, and kick him in the face. The warrior swings at his legs, but the monster traps it with his foot. He attacks, and Rick jumps back, but his foot slips over the edge, and he jumps away. Mangor walks to him and says, "Time to meet your maker."

"Technically, I'll be devirtualized and return to Earth." Said Rick.

"Whatever." Mangor swing at the teen, and he starts to fall. Rick quickly grabs the monsters ankle, taking Mangor with him.

"Rick!" screams Aelita, running out of the tower. She looks down the edge, and sees the teen hanging for life. Mangor clutches Rick's feet, making it hard for Rick to climb. "Let go of me!"

"If I'm going down, then you're coming with me." Mangor said.

"I don't think so."

Mangor turns and sees William riding the Manta. He swings Zweihander, cutting Mangor's wrists, and he falls to the blue walls. Aelita helps Rick up, and hugs him tight. "Okay Aelita, you can let go of me now."

"Oh. Sorry." She backs up, blushing a little.

"Are you two done in there? We need some help!" yelled Sissi.

"What kind of trouble?" Rick asked.

"The zombies got into the lab and are attacking us."

"What? Did you deactivate the tower?" he asked Aelita.

"Yes."

"Jeremie, hurry and devirtualize us."

"A little busy here." Jeremie said.

Rick turns to the group and asks, "You don't mind getting stab, do you?"

"No." Yumi said. Aelita shakes her head.

Rick grabs his sword and swipes at Yumi, then stabs Aelita. He turns to William, and stabs him in the stomach. Turning to Alex, he asks, "Can you be devirtualized?"

"Yes."

He stabs her, then cuts himself. Soon, Rick clambers out of the scanner and hurries to catch up to everyone else. He finds everyone trying to survive from the zombies. "How are they not back to their regular selves?"

"I don't know, but can you help?" asked Aelita.

He looks and finds Aelita being surrounded. He jumps over and kicks and punches the zombies back. Rick punches one guy back, but one sneaks behind and wraps his arms around him. The teen whips his leg back, kicking the guy in the face, and Aelita's mouth drops. One zombie swings a pole, but Rick grabs it and kicks the guy down. Five or six come, but he twirls on the pole, knocking all of them back.

"How can you do that?" Aelita asked.

"Taekwondo. My mom made me do a lesson back in the U.S. Who knew it would come in handy."

"Somebody help!" Sissi yelled.

"Be right back. Here." Rick gives Aelita the pole, and runs to Sissi. One zombie grabs the pole and throws it away. She was about to bite the girl, when Rick jumps over her and elbows the girl, then punches her back. Doing flips, kicks, and punches all the zombies back until about half are down. He awestruck Sissi, who is wide eyes. Rick turns and sees Sissi staring at him. "I wasn't that great."

"Are you kidding? You have got to teach me that." She said. Sissi turns her head, and yells, "Look out!"

Hiroki jumps on Rick's back, and he tries to throw the little man off. "Get off me, Hiroki."

"Not until you're one of us." He said, trying to bite him. Rick keeps him away, and sees Alex shooting everyone with the gun. "Alex!"

She turns, and sees Hiroki on his back. She aims, and the teen turns so the little boy is facing her. Alex shoots, and Hiroki falls off. Everyone falls to the ground, and return to their original self. Ulrich says, "We need to get everyone out of here."

"Too many for that. I'm going to use the back in time." Jeremie said. He types a few codes, and presses the enter button. "Return to the past now."

Nothing happened. Jeremie, confused, asks, "What the-why isn't it working?"

"Here. Let me check." Rick said. He walks to the computer and checks the system. A warning sign appears, and Rick says, "Looks like Mangor disabled the method."

"Great. Now how are we going to cover this?"

"I have an idea." Alex said. She whistles, and Hornets appear. They start grabbing sleeping civilian and flying out of the lab. Yumi takes her brother and says, "I'll take him back home." She enters the elevator and presses the ascend button.

Sissi walks to Rick and asks, "Hey, when are you going to teach me that kicking and punching moves?"

"You mean Taekwondo? We can start tomorrow."

Aelita asks, "Can you teach me too?"

"Okay. If anyone else wants me to teach them, then…I'll ask Mr. Delmas if I can borrow the gym tomorrow."

"If it doesn't work, then I'll tell him that I am taking the lesson." Sissi said.

"Okay. Let's get back. I would like a long rest." Ulrich said.

As the Hornets keep carrying the people out, the teens head back to school.


	12. Chapter 12: Taekwondo vs Fist

**Chapter 12: Taekwondo vs. Fist**

Rick heads for the principal's office, going through the administrative building. He knocks on the door, and heard a "Come in."

He opens the door and sees Mr. Delmas sitting behind the desk. "Mr. Vandelez. You're up early."

"I just wanted to ask if I can borrow the gym today."

"Why, may I ask?"

"I wanted to teach a lesson to some of my friends, and a gym would be the perfect place."

"What would the lesson be about that requires a gym?"

"Taeqwondo."

"Interesting. Why not just take the lesson by a real teacher, not that I'm complaining."

Rick says, "They probably want to see my moves that the teacher doesn't teach."

Mr. Delmas considers the idea. "Well, I don't know."

"You're daughter is taking the lesson."

The principal's eyebrow shoots up. "Really? Hmm, I like the idea. Some self defense will do her some good. Okay, you can have the gym on weekends." He takes out a piece of paper and writes on it. "Here. Show this to Mr. Morales so he can let you in."

Rick takes the paper and says, "thank you."

He walks out, and turns to the dorms. Rick walks upstairs and walks to Ulrich's room. Suddenly, he gets rammed by an opening door, smashing his face.

Ulrich says, "I'm telling you, Jeremie, you should take his class. It would help you in case something happens."

"Did you forget something?" Jeremie asked, pointing to his legs.

"Right. Sorry, I forgot."

"Now, if you excuse me, Alex wants me with something." He rolls to the elevator, and Ulrich starts to walk to the showers, when he sees Rick still planted to the door. "Ow. Sorry about that Rick."

He pushes the door off of him, then says, "its okay. It just got my face."

"So, why did you come up here?"

"I came to ask how you and Yumi are doing."

"Oh. It's not bad. I hear there's a new movie coming out, full of action, exploring, and a little romance."

Rick smiles. "Nice job, tiger. Sooner or later, it will probably become official."

Ulrich laughs, then asks, "What about you and Aelita?"

Rick blushes. "Uh, what about us?"

"Ever since you came, she's been acting differently. It mostly happens when you're nearby. And you seem to act weird too."

"Uh, well, it's probably nothing. Speaking of Aelita, I should tell her where the class will be."

"Okay. But before you go, I just want to tell ya that if you need any advice about romance, just call me."

"Okay. See ya." Rick walks to the stairs, and heads for the girls dorms.

* * *

Aelita walks out of her door, and starts to head out when Sissi says, "Hey Aelita. Could you come here?"

"Uh, okay." She heads inside the room, and Sissi closes the door. "So, what do you think will make me look good?" She takes out some sweats. "This," she puts a yellow top in front of her. "Or this?" She puts a black and pink sweat in front of her.

"Uh, well…wait, why are you asking me which looks better?"

"To do great, then you got to look great."

"If you want to do great, then you have got to put your mind to it. But that black and pink makes your eyes shine." Aelita said.

"Oh thank you." Sissi puts her sweat on her bed. "Okay, so what are you going to wear?"

"Just my usual P.E. clothes."

"Really? Don't you want Rick to notice you?"

The teen looks at Sissi confused. "What do you mean?"

"I see the look you give him." Sissi said, smiling.

"W-what look?" asked Aelita, a little nervous.

"C'mon. The look that means you like him."

"I don't like him. He's my friend, that's all."

"Yeah, they start out as friends, but soon, they become boyfriend and girlfriend. So I suggest you tell him now, or he'll be taken before you know it."

"Well," Aelita said, sitting down. "I did try to tell him,"

"But?" asked Sissi.

"I got interrupted by that stupid Shark."

Sissi drops her jaw, then says"You're going to let a dumb robot stop you from telling Rick about your feelings? Aelita, you go and tell that boy exactly how you feel."

"You know what, you're right. I should find him right now and tell him."

Suddenly a knock comes from Sissi's door. She says, "I bet that's him right now."

"Oh no. I'm not ready." Aelita said, backing away.

Sissi groans, then walks and pushes the teen to the door. She shakes her head and tries to back up, but Sissi gives her a final push, stopping at the door. "Sissi, I don't think I can tell him." she whispered.

"Just do it."

Aelita hesitates, then opens the door to see Rick waiting. "Hey, what took so long?"

"Uh…w-we were just…discussing what Sissi should wear at the class."

Sissi face palms herself. Rick says, "You know you don't need to be fancy to be in a lesson."

"Oh. Well, I'll just wear something pretty anyway." Sissi said.

"Okay. I just came to tell you that I finally convinced Mr. Delmas to let us have the gym. We can start ten minutes."

"Great. We'll see you in ten minutes." Aelita said.

"Kay. See ya." Rick walks away, and Aelita starts to close the door, but stops and yells down the hallway, "Rick."

"Yeah?" he said, turning.

She hesitates, then says, "Should I wear my usual or something Sissi would prefer?"

"Uh, whatever you want."

"Okay." She goes back into the room and closes the door. Sissi said, "Do you know that you just blew it?"

The pink-haired girl smiles nervously. "Yes?"

* * *

Rick heads down the hallway, and meets Ulrich. "Do you know you just blew it?"

"Sorry, but I couldn't bring myself to say it."

"Oh well. There will be other times to tell her."

"What about Jeremie?"

"I think he's starting to get a new interest."

"Alexana?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I have to get the gym ready." said Rick.

"Okay. See ya later." He walks off, and Rick walks to the huge room. Getting there, he was about to push the door when someone stops him. "Hey, Vandelez!"

He turns and sees Jim walking to him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I was about use the gym."

"The gym is closed on weekends."

"Don't worry. I have a signature." Rick takes out the piece of paper with Mr. Delmas signature. He shows it to the gym teacher. He looks at it, then says, "Well, this is either the best signature copy I have ever seen, or this is really the principal's signature."

He hands it back to the teen, then says, "Okay. I hope everything goes well." Jim walks away, and Rick enters the gym. He walks to the closet and takes out a pole. "This should do well." He twirls it around, testing the balance.

* * *

Okay Aelita, You may get another chance at telling Rick your feelings. And this time, don't stutter."

"I got nervous, okay?"

They enter the gym, and find Rick kicking and punching the air. Sissi says, "Wow. I really need this lesson."

"Are you saying that because he looks cute?" asked Aelita.

"Well yeah, but he's already taken."

"Who?" Aelita asked, a little scared.

"You, silly."

Rick turns and sees the girls. "Oh good. Now we can begin. And Aelita, what is with the fancy sweats?"

She looks down at what's she's wearing. "I thought I would try Sissi's interests."

"Smooth." Sissi whispered sarcastically.

"Uh, okay. Now, before we begin, who knows what Taekwondo is?"

"It is a type of fighting Japanese use." said Sissi.

"Not quite. Anyone else want to give it a try? Why did I ask that if there are only two of you?"

Aelita raises her hand. Rick says, "You don't need to raise your hand."

"Right." She puts her hand down, then says, "Taekwondo is Korean martial art that means 'the way of the hand and foot'."

"Correct. It is an art that teaches you ways of the hand," Rick does a fancy punch and other moves with his fist. "And the feet." He does a flying kick and more, then says, "If you master the ways, then you can do something like this." Rick pushes the pole onto the ground and twirls around, and flies up and lands on his feet. Aelita and Sissi clap and Rick takes a bow. "Thank. Now, we begin."

After about twenty minutes of learning, Sissi really having trouble understanding it, something taps Rick on the shoulder. "Excuse me, Rick."

He turns and sees Milly asks, Tamiya recording, "May we ask you some questions?"

"Uh, I'm in the middle of class. Could you come back in let's say, ten minutes?"

"But we really need a scoop."

The teen sighs, then turns and tells Sissi and Aelita, "Practice what I taught you. I'll be right back." He follows the girls, then asks, "Okay, what do you want to ask about?"

Milly asks, "So Rick, what do you know anything about the robots that attacked a couple of days ago?"

"Uhh…" _What should I say? _"Well, I guess it was just a…robot experiment gone haywire."

"How did you defeat all of those robots by yourself?" Milly asked.

"I didn't do that myself. I had help with my friends."

"Okay. Lastly, if they come back, what will you do?"

"Like I always do: destroy every single robot before they can do some harm."

"Really? Thank you for your time."

"No problem." Rick walks back to the girls and the 6th graders head back to the doors. Before they touch the doors, they open and three kids walk in. The lead boy looks around and sees the small girls. "Well, what do we have here?" He snatches the camera, and Tamiya says, "Hey!"

"Still trying to find a _big scoop_? I've told you, there will never be anything to tape. Might as well just give up."

"If you look hard enough, you will find something."

"Why don't you go to your dollies?"

Rick turns and sees the bullies troubling the girls. "Oh great." He walks to the small crowd, and asks, "Okay, what's going on?"

"This bully took my tape." Tamiya said.

Rick looks at the boy and asks, "Aren't you the new kid named Ty?"

"Yeah. Aren't you that kid with the brain of a computer?"

"No. I'm Rick. Now give me back the camera."

Ty hides it behind his back. "What camera?"

"Now."

The bully sighs and gives Tamiya the video camera. "Here. I hope your scoop is a big failure."

"Why don't you lay off and go back to your room?"

"Why don't you leave my business alone, and go back to your little useless training."

Rick chuckles a little. "Taekwondo is not stupid. It is a technique that will help fight off bullies, such as yourself."

"I'm a bully? I'm just telling everyone who the man is in this school."

"Yeah, by beating up smaller kids."

"Then why don't I beat up someone the same size?"

"Like who?" Rick asked.

"You."

"You're on."

Aelita walks to him and asks, "Rick, are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Ty asks, "Really? Did you know that I am in the wrestling team and the top student in that class, as well as beat up an adult without breaking a sweat?"

"Well, that changes things."

"You bet, and at eleven, I'm going to beat the crap out of you so much, your own mom won't recognize you. See you at eleven."

He walks away, and Sissi asks, "Do you know what you've just done?"

"I really annoyed a bully and am about to get my own grave when he's done with me?" Rick said.

"Okay, I guess you do know what you've done."

"Don't worry. I'll live."

"But what if you lose? I don't want you to get hurt." Aelita said.

"I'm not going to get hurt. He underestimates me, which is his weakness."

Milly says, "Tamiya, I think we found a bigger scoop."

Rick turns to them and says, "Don't."

"Fine. C'mon, we still have the robot report." They walk back their room, and Rick says, "I better not make mister I'm the big shot here mad."

* * *

Ty looks at his watch, and says, "Where is that stupid kid?"

"Don't worry Ty, he'll be here. " said Victor. Ty turns and grabs his shirt. "He better."

"Yo Ty. You ready or what?"

The bully turns and sees Rick standing with a pole in his hand and a bandana on his forehead. He smiles and says, "I thought you chickened out."

"I have never been chicken in my whole life." said Rick.

"Well, I'm going to change that." He charges the teen, but Rick jumps over him and kicks Ty on the back. He turns and starts punching Rick, but he blocks them with his pole and arms. He tries a couple of punches, but Ty just shrugs it off and pounds his face. Rick stumbles, clutching his mouth. He spits some blood out, and Ty punches him again. "Ha. You're weak."

Rick breathe heavily, and says, "You think I'm weak?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm beating the pulp out of you."

The teen smiles, and says, "I have faced robots much powerful than me, fought against a program that is a killer, and pretty much almost lost my life more than I can count. You think you know fear, but you haven't seen the same things I have. You haven't seen fear, until you've face Mangor."

Ty laughs, then says, "You are making all this up."

"Is he?"

The bully turns and sees a smiling fanged being. Ty backs up and asks, "Who are you?"

"I am your worst nightmare." Mangor grabs his neck and throws him into the cafeteria. Everyone runs screaming as Krabs and Sharks run around. Rick asks, "Sissi, do you know where the gloves are?"

"What gloves?"

He face palms himself, then says, "The metal gloves that enhances your strength."

"Oh right." Sissi runs to his room, and Rick turns to Aelita. "Try to find everyone and tell them what's happening."

"Got it."

As she runs to find her friends, Rick turns to Mangor and says, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to finish what I started all those years ago." Mangor swings his sword, sending a ray flying at the boy. He jumps up and swings his pole, the top half flying toward the monster. Mangor cuts it in half, and looks up to see the teen falling toward him, sword in hand. He jumps back, and Rick's sword digs into the ground. He looks at Mangor and says, "You didn't think I wouldn't come prepared, did you?"

He growls, then runs away. "Scaredy cat!" yelled Rick. He then notices where the monster is heading. "Uh oh." Rick starts running after him as Mangor heads for the school.

* * *

Aelita runs up the stairs and goes through the hallway, looking for Alex's room. She remembers her number and opens the door to find Jeremie and Alex working on the computer.

"Hello?"

They turn around and see a distraught Aelita. Alex asks, "Are you alright, Aelita?"

"No. Mangor's back."

"What?" questioned Jeremie.

"Yes."

"But we're not done with our experiment." Alex said.

"What experiment?" asked Aelita.

"A super weapon that will destroy Mangorian." Jeremie said.

"How will that happen?"

"We have no idea. Some theories we've come up with is-"

"We don't have time. Mangor could come any second."

Alex and Jeremie's eyes widen. Aelita said, "He's right behind me, isn't he?"

They nod their head, and the pink-haired girl turns and sees Mangor. "Hello, princess."

She backs up, saying, "It's only cool when Odd says it."

"Odd isn't here. I made sure of that." He swings his sword around as he enters the room. Then, he hears a whistle, and turns to see feet flying at him. Mangor gets kicked and flies out the window. Rick lands on his feet, and asks, "You three okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine." Alex said.

"Good. Now get out of here."

The two run out, but Aelita doesn't. Rick looks at her, then asks, "What're you waiting for?"

"I want to say something."

"Does it have something to do about in Lyoko?"

"Yes. And it's about…what I feel about you."

"What would that be? We're friends, right?"

"Well…" They hear a sound coming from outside. The two turn and see a sword. Mangor hops onto the windowsill, a smile on his face. "Nice try."

Rick gets in front of Aelita, pointing his sword at his chest. The monster snaps his fingers, and a Ray appears, and starts shooting. Rick blocks the shots, and says, "Run!"

Aelita runs out of the room, Rick behind her. Mangor walks out of the room, and starts swinging his sword, sending beams to the teens. Rick turns and tries to block it, but gets pushed past Aelita and falls down the stairs. "Rick!" She runs down the stairs and finds the boy at the bottom. "Rick! Are you all right?"

"I'm just lucky not to break any bones." He groans. Aelita helps him up to his feet, and Rick says, "Thanks."

Suddenly, something flashes and Aelita gasps, falling into Rick's arm, and passes out. He put his arm on her back, and sees blood on his it. Rick's eyes widen, and look up to see Mangor holding his sword, which is dripping blood from the tip. "You're lucky I barely grazed her."

"Barely? Are you kidding?"

"Well, if you think it's a big deal, then I'll put her out of her misery."

He raises his hand, but Rick quickly blocks the sword with his, having trouble carrying Aelita as well. Mangor pushes the teen's sword out of his hand, and was about slice the two in half, when someone says, "Mangor. I have a little present for you."

"And what would that present be?" Mangor asked, turning. His eyes widen as he sees Sissi with metal gloves. Smiling, she says, "Here's a can of butt-kicking!" She spins and kicks the monster in the stomach, and punches him, sending Mangor through the wall.

"Ha ha, take that, Mangdork." She looks at Rick, and sees Aelita in his arms. "Aww, that's cute."

"Not when she's bleeding!"

Her eyes widen as Rick holds Aelita in a bridal style. "C'mon, we'll take the back door."

They run out, and accidentally run into Jim. "Rick, what's going on?"

"Uh, Jim. Well, you may not believe this, but-" Suddenly, a beam flies past Rick's head. They turn and see Spikrelats running towards them. "Whoa! What are those?"

"Trouble!"

One ray flies to Rick's head, but he ducks and Jim says, "Yeah, they're trouble."

"If you want to live, then I suggest RUN!" yelled Rick.

The two run through the forest, dodging even more rays. Sissi trip over a root, and rolls around to see a Spikrelat charging its gun. Just before firing, William falls off the tree and shish kebabs the robot with a branch. "That's what you get."

"Uh, thank you William." Sissi said, getting up.

"William, thank goodness you're here." said Rick. "I need you to take care of the robots while I get Aelita to the infirmary."

"Why? What's wrong with her?" asked William, taking Rick's sword.

"Mangor got her on the back."

"Oh."

They run back to the school, William keeping an eye out for monsters. They were about to turn a corner when a beam flies past. William rushes over and destroys the Spikrelat, and says, "All clear."

The teens continue running toward one building. Rick sees it and rushes through the doors and into the Infirmary, scaring Yolande. "What's going on?"

"Killer robots are running amok and Aelita got hurt." said William.

"Like I believe in that."

Suddenly, one Spikrelat flies through the window and crashes into the other window. "Ha ha, take that robot!"

Yolande looks out the window and sees Jim holding a pole. She looks back to the teens and says, "Okay, I'm convinced. What's wrong with her?"

Rick says, "She got slashed in the back."

The nurse picks Aelita up and lays her on the bed. She checks over the injury and Rick says, "C'mon. We still got a bunch of robots to take out."

* * *

**Please R&R**


	13. Chapter 13: Robots Running Amok

**Chapter 13: Robots Running Amok**

"So William, you ready to kick some mechanical butts?" Rick asked.

"You bet I am."

"Okay. But first, we need to get to my dorm."

"What? Why?"

"I have weapons in there made especially for these robots."

Sissi asks, "Can I keep the gloves?"

"Yes." They head back to the dorms while Yolande takes care of Aelita. All the while, Rick has a foreboding feeling in his stomach, which started when Aelita got slashed. _Why am I feeling like this? She's just my friend. But what about her? And why am I talking like this?_

"Rick, are you okay?" asked William.

"Yeah, I'm fine." They continue running up the stairs, and Rick opens his door. He opens his drawer and digs around. "Man, I should really clean this out. Ah ha!"

He takes out a couple of small guns, then a large gun in pieces. He puts it together, then throws William the small guns. "Why can't I have the big gun?"

"Because you don't know how to work this type of gun."

Rick continues digging, and finds his swords. He attaches them on his back, then gives William a sword. "Okay. Now can we kill robots?" William asked.

"Yes." William runs out, leaving Sissi with Rick. He was about to leave when Sissi asks, "Rick, can I tell you something?"

"Yeah."

"Well, have you noticed how Aelita is acting lately?"

"Uh, kinda."

"Do you know why?"

Rick turns to her, saying, "Why are you asking me all these questions? There are killer robots out there."

"Maybe I should let Aelita tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"Nothing. But before you go, may I ask how do you feel about Aelita?"

"Uh, well, uhm…she's a good friend."

"But how do you like her in the heart?"

Rick doesn't answer. Sissi says, "You _like_ like her, don't you."

"Can we get back to the problem here instead of talking about my feelings?"

"Fine. But when Aelita wakes up, you should tell her." She turns and runs out, leaving Rick alone. He shakes his head, then runs out.

Yolande covers Aelita's wound with gauze, and flips her back to a laying position. She groans, and opens her eyes to see a bright ceiling. "Where am I?"

"Good, you're awake." said Yolande.

"Yolande, where am I? And why does my back hurt?" Aelita tries to get up, but falls when her back stings.

"Please Ms. Stone; your wound is still fresh. Just lay down for a while."

"But what happened?"

"I don't know. Mr. Vandelez just rushed into the Infirmary with you in his arms, unconscious."

The teen smiles a little, then says, "Was I really in his arms?"

"Yes, as well as bleeding."

She sighs. "So what's happening out there?"

William flies through the window and crashes onto the table. "Is that all you got?" he yelled. William starts to run out, but sees Aelita. "Hey Aelita. You're missing all the fun." He jumps out, shooting more robots. Aelita says, "I think I'll stay here."

"You have no choice, anyway." Yolande said.

Two students run past the door, a couple of Spikrelats chasing. One stops and looks in the room, then walks into it. The robot looks around, and spots Aelita on the bed. "_Target acquired._"

The teen gets up and backs away, despite her back pain. The robot charges its gun, but Yolande gets in the way. "No one hurts the students on my ground."

The Spikrelat looks at the nurse, then fires her back. Aelita screams, "Yolande!"

"_Target acquired._" Aelita backs into a corner, whimpering. The robot shoots, destroying part of a wall next to Aelita's head. It was about to fire again, but Rick falls off the ceiling and shish kebabs the Spikrelat and swings it into a wall. "Don't _ever_ harm Aelita."

She smiles, but gasps as a stinging pain shoots up her back. Rick runs to her and asks, "Are you okay?"

"My back still hurts. Look out!"

Rick turns and shoots the Shark to oblivion. He says, "Okay, so you still need to rest?"

"That's what Yolande said."

Rick looks at the nurse, who is getting up. "Is that all she needs?"

"Yes. But we'll probably have to take her to the hospital, where it's safer."

"I've got a better idea." He picks up Aelita and runs out to the grounds. He hides behind a building as a Supertank rolls past. Checking around the corner, Rick runs to the forest and Aelita asks, "Where are we going? Lyoko?"

"No. Even there, you still have the injury and that's where all the robots are."

"So where are we going?"

"Someplace you know." He continues running through the forest, dodging trees and jumping over bushes. One time, a Krab runs out, but Rick shoots it down. After a while, he sees the fence, and opens it and runs into the house. "The Hermitage?" asked Aelita. "Won't they find us here?"

"Mangor doesn't even know this place exists. That's why this is the best place to hide. That I could think of."

Rick runs up the stairs and enters the pink room. He puts Aelita on the bed, and says, "In case they do find you, use this gun." Rick gives her one of his guns. Aelita asks, "How long did you have this?"

Rick says, "Ever since I learned that Mangorian woke up."

"You're a pretty good mechanic."

Rick blushes a little, then runs out. "I'll come back when this is all over."

The pink haired teen watches him out the window as Rick vanishes into the forest.

Rick runs back to the school, hoping nobody got hurt. Too bad he's wrong.

Robots run through the school, shooting anything that moves. William and Sissi try to keep the monsters at bay, but soon they are quickly getting beat. Sissi punches one Spikrelat to pieces, but a Krab shoots her from behind. She groans as she gets up, and turns to see the Krab charging up its gun. The teen pounds the ground, sending a dirt ripple toward the robot. It flies up, and falls back, blasting into pieces. Sissi sighs, then gets up and runs toward a Supertank.

William slashes a Spikrelat, twist, and shoots a Shark. "Is that all you got?"

He gets shot from behind, and flies through a building. "Owww. I guess I asked for it."

A Shark walks through the hole, smiling. "Say goodbye, enemy of Mangor."

He charges his guns, and was about to fire when Tamiya gets in the way and says, "Say cheese." She snaps her camera, and a flash blinds the Shark. As he tries to get his eyesight back, William jumps over the girl and cuts him to pieces. "I would've said to say goodbye, but that would've taken more time."

He turns to Tamiya and says, "Thanks for the help."

"Speaking of help, Milly needs some. She's hurt."

"What?"

"Follow me." She runs across the ground, William following her. Tamiya runs around a corner, and William finds Milly against the wall of the dorms, gasping. He runs toward her and asks, "What happened?"

She tries to talking, but couldn't say anything. Tamiya says, "One of those giant crabs snuck behind us, and Milly pushes me out of the way before she got shot in the waist."

William moves the bloody hand out of the way, and sees that Tamiya is right. He turns to her and asks, "Do you know how to use a sword?"

"No."

"A gun?"

"Aim and pull the trigger?"

"Yes. Here you go." William hands her the gun, and Tamiya grabs it gingerly. The raven-haired teen picks up Milly and runs to the infirmary. When they get there, William says, "Whoa. The robots been busy."

Yolande and nurses from the hospital are running around, taking care of the wounded. The school nurse looks up and sees William holding Milly. "Oh no, not another one."

She runs to them and says, "How did this happen?"

"Those Super Krabs got her from behind." William said.

Yolande shakes her head in worry, then walks to a bed. Tears start coming from Tamiya's eyes as she says, "I hope she'll be alright."

"Hey, don't worry." William said, lowering himself so they see eye to eye. "I may not know much about Milly, but I know she'll be okay. She's a tough girl, probably the toughest in sixth grade."

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?"

"No, I mean it. And I know she doesn't want her best friend to sit around and worry about her."

Tamiya nods her head, and William says, "Now just stay close to me and you'll be okay."

"Alright."

"Now let's destroy some robots so they don't hurt any more friends."

"We would really appreciate that." one nurse said.

The two run toward robots, Tamiya shooting them down and William slashing them to pieces. While beating robots, Sissi pounds the monsters like they're tin cans. "Man, this hero stuff sure can be fun."

She gets blasted toward a tree, snapping it down. When Sissi lands, she adds, "And very painful."

The Supertank rolls to her, and opens up to reveal the symbol. "_Target acquired._" It charges its weapon, then fires. Rick jumps in front of it and blocks the beam with his sword. The force of the beam pushes him back, and he says, "Sissi, get out of the way!"

She does, and Rick lets the beam pass him. He throws his sword at the symbol just before it closes. The sword flies back to the teen, and he grabs it before it can spear his head. He asks, "Where's Yumi and Ulrich? We could use their help."

"Don't you have them on speed dial?"

"Right." Rick takes out his phone and calls Ulrich. After a while, he picks up and asks, "So Rick, you need my advice on girls?"

"How about advice from an _actual_ girl?" Yumi asked.

"No time for that. Where are you two?"

"Having dinner."

"Oh. What restaurant?" Rick asked. Sissi punches him on the arm, and Rick says, "Never mind. Look, we need your help."

"Why? We're in the middle of dinner."

"So you don't know what's going on back here?"

"No. Why?"

"MANGOR'S ROBOTS ARE LOOSE IN OUR SCHOOL AND ARE ATTACKING STUDENTS, INCLUDING US!" yelled Rick.

"Ow, calm down. I'm bleeding in the ears. Now what did you say about Mangor's monsters?"

"They are attacking us and harming kids."

"What? Why didn't you call me earlier?"

"I thought you and Yumi were HERE!"

"Ow. Rick, calm down. If you keep yelling I'm going to go deaf."

Rick calms himself, then says, "Sorry, I'm just worried about Aelita."

Sissi teases, "You like her."

"Shut up."

"What?" asked Ulrich.

"Not you, I was talking to Sissi here. So when can you get here?"

"We can come ASAP."

"Hurry up. Sooner or later the robots will find you."

Ulrich and Yumi hear screaming. They turn and see Spikrelats and Krabs entering the restaurant. One Spikrelat spots the Lyoko warriors, and says, "_Target acquired._"

"Rick, I'll have to call you later." He hangs up, then finds the closest thing to a weapon: A knife. The Krabs start firing, and Ulrich and Yumi dodge them. Ulrich throws his knife and hits one Spikrelat. "Bulls eye."

One Spikrelat shoots, cutting a hole in Yumi's dress. "Hey! Do you know how much this cost?"

"Yumi, we need to get out of here."

"How? The robots are blocking the door."

"The window." Ulrich points to a low window. They start running toward it, dodging beams from the robots. Ulrich jumps into the window, breaking it to a million pieces. Yumi jumps out, and says, "Thanks Ulrich."

"No problem." groaned Ulrich.

The two warriors start running toward the school, Yumi having trouble running in high heels.

Rick runs and slashes another robot to pieces. He finds William and Tamiya fighting off some Sharks. He runs to it, and shoots two of them. The Sharks turn around, and William uses their confusion and cuts two more. Tamiya shoots down the rest, and Rick and Sissi catches up to them. Rick asks, "Hey William, are you having fun?"

"You bet I am. You?"

"Always when Mangor sends his goons."

"Are you two alright?" Tamiya asked.

"They're boys." Sissi said.

"Hey."

William asks, "So where's Yumi and Ulrich?"

"On their date."

"Oh."

"Give it a break." said Sissi. "It wasn't going to work between you two."

"I guess you're right. Besides, there are other fish in the sea."

"Huh?" Sissi asked.

"It's a metaphor." Rick said.

"Can we get back to the robots?" Tamiya asked.

"Right. Okay, two go to the west, and two will go to the east. Let's go." Rick said.

Rick and Sissi runs to the gym, and William and Tamiya heads for the dorms. Some Sharks surround a couple of sixth graders, and were about to fire when Sissi sends a wave at them, launching the robots in the air. Rick throws his swords, which twirls and slices them to pieces. Rick lands in front of the kids, and grabs his swords. The kids gape at him, and Rick says, "Go. Run."

They run away, and Sissi catches up. "Any more?"

"Don't see anything. We should head to the dorms." They run to the smoke, where William and Tamiya are taking care of robots. William asks, "Is it me, or are the robots getting easier?"

"Do you think they're giving up?"

"Don't know, but I hope Mangor gibes up."

"Who?"

"Uh, nothing." He slices another Krab, and Tamiya shoots a Spikrelat. "There. That looks like the last-ahh!" She gets shot on her arm, and turns to see a Shark. He fires, but William grabs Tamiya and pulls her out of danger. He fires, destroying the Shark. "Are you okay?"

"My arm hurts. I think it's broken."

William looks up and sees Rick and Sissi. "Hey guys, I think Tamiya's arm is broken."

They catch up, and Rick examines her arm. "Wow. It really is broken. A beam from a robot did this?"

"Yes. Do you know how to fix a broken arm?" William asked.

"Are you kidding? I fainted when first saw the sign of muscle when the person was being operated!"

"I know how to." Sissi said.

They look at her with disbelief. "How?"

"My daddy made me take this doctor class and they showed me how to fix a broken arm, leg, and to stop the bleeding."

"Oh. Well, work your magic."

Sissi works on Tamiya's arm, and asks, "Does anyone have a towel or something?"

"No." said Rick.

"How about one of your shirts?"

Rick and William look at each other, and Rick says, "We flip a coin."

"Really? You're going to figure out who takes their shirt off by a coin?"

"Heads." William said. Rick flips a quarter, and lands on tails. Rick takes off his shirt, showing his muscular chest. Sissi says, "Wow. No wonder the ladies are into you."

"They are?" asked Rick.

"Don't you ever see what everyone else is doing?"

"Yes."

"What about girls?"

"Would you take care of Tamiya before she faints from pain?"

Sissi goes back to the kid, wrapping her arm with Rick's shirt. "There. All done. Does it still hurt?"

"A little. But bearable."

Rick looks up and sees Mangor riding a Ray. He growls, then says, "Guys, take cover."

"Why?" Sissi said.

"Mangor's here."

They turn and see the monster. Sissi says, "Come on Tamiya." They run toward the dorms, but Rick sees William staying. "What are you doing?"

"I'm staying and there's nothing you can say to make me move."

"You're determined, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"OK." The two get ready for battle as Mangor hops off his ride. "I see that you're getting more allies. Don't you think she's too young?"

"What do you want now?" asked Rick.

"I've come to make a proposition."

Rick leans to William and whispers, "Whatever you do, don't take the proposition."

"Got it."

Rick turns to Mangor and asks, "What is it?"

"If you join my army, then I will call off my robots and leave you and your friends alone."

"I'm pretty sure you know my answer, Mangor."

William asks, "Is it no?"

"Yes."

"Why? It's a good offer."

"And he'll take over the world."

"Oh."

Rick turns back to the monster, and says, "No, Mangor. Good luck trying to convince me."

"What about your friend?" Mangor asked.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Fine. Then we'll take this like before." He attacks, but Rick blocks his sword. William tries to fight, but Mangor kicks him back. Rick and the monster send sparks in the air, and Mangor swings his sword, slashing across Rick's chest. He clutches his injury, and shoots Mangor. He flies through the air and crashes into a tree, making it topple. Rick asks, "You had enough?"

"I forgot you got stronger, Richard, and at an alarming rate." Mangor said.

"Yeah. And there's nothing you can do about it when I put you back to sleep."

Mangor smiles, then asks, "Did you forget that I know your weakness? As soon as I deal with it, then you will be powerless against me. See you later, Richard." He vanishes on the spot as Rick pales. "Aelita."

He runs to the forest, and William yells, "Rick, where are you going?" he follows as Rick vanishes into the forest. The teen dodges trees as he gets closer to the Hermitage. As the house gets into his eyesight, Rick sees that the door has been blasted open. "Oh no."

"Rick, wait up!" yells William. Rick doesn't hear him as he runs into the house. William looks at the fence, and sees the sign. "The Hermitage? What is this place?"

Rick runs up the stairs and heads for the pink room, and finds Aelita fighting Mangor. He rushes around the beams and grabs Aelita by the neck. Rick says, "Let go of her."

The monster turns and sees Rick. "Ah, you're just in time."

"You touch a single hair on her head, and you'll find yourself in hell."

Mangor smiles. "Don't worry. I'm not going to harm her."

"Really?"

"I wouldn't dream of hurting her _here_."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. I'm taking her with me, back to Mangorian."

"What?"

The monster laughs, then says, "So long Richard." Mangor and Aelita vanish in a column of flames, Mangor's laughter still in the air. Rick cuts through the fire, and finds it empty. He falls to his knees, feeling defeated. William finally catches up and sees Rick. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Rick gets up and slashes the desk. William runs in the way of the drawers and blocks Rick's sword as it comes toward it. "Whoa Rick, calm down. What happened?"

The teen drops his sword and sits on the bed, putting his head in his hands. "Mangor took Aelita."

"What?"

"Yes. And in his realm, he can do anything to her."

William walks to him and puts a reassuring hand on Rick's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll get her back."

Rick looks up, smiling. "Thanks. Looks like we're going to Lyoko."

"Hey Rick, can we come too?"

The two guys look at the entrance and see Ulrich and Yumi. Rick says, "I was wondering when you'd show up."

"Sorry, but there was some chaos in the city and we had to take care of it."

"Yumi, you look lovely." William said.

"Uh, thanks."

"Rick grabs William and says, "Remember, she's taken."

"Right."

Ulrich says, "So call Jeremie and Alex then we'll head to Lyoko."

"Got it." Rick takes out his phone and calls Jeremie. "Hey, we're heading for the lab to go to Lyoko."

"Why?" Jeremie asked.

"Um, I'd rather not say."

William takes his phone and says, "He lost girlfriend who was taken by Mangor."

"She's not my girlfriend." Rick said.

"She should be."

Jeremie says, "Well lucky for you, we're already there."

"Okay. We'll meet you there." Rick hangs up. "Alright. Let's get to the lab." The Warriors run out of the house and heads for the old factory.


	14. Chapter 14: Searching for Aelita

**Chapter 14: Searching for Aelita**

The Lyoko warriors run through the forest, heading for the sewage opening. Rick opens the entrance and climbs down the ladder, followed by Yumi, Ulrich, and William. They ride across the sewer and climb up the ladder at the other end. While they're running, Rick can't think of nothing except Aelita. The warriors ride down the elevator and sees Jeremie, Alex, and Sissi waiting. Jeremie says, "Okay, Everyone head for the scanners except for Sissi."

"Aw, when can I go to Lyoko?" Sissi asked.

"When we think you're ready. Now get going."

They head downstairs, and Rick, Alex, and William enter the scanners. They get virtualized, and Ulrich and Yumi get in the scanners. When everyone is in Lyoko, Jeremie creates their rides and Ulrich and Yumi hop on their rides, Rick creating his. William asks, "What can I ride?"

Alex, on the manta, says, "I can get the black Manta you used to ride."

"I think I'll just stick with Ulrich's ride." He hops on the Overbike, and they all of them ride to the small part of the desert sector. William sees that Rick looks different. "Hey Ulrich, I think I'll ride with Rick."

Ulrich looks at Rick, then says, "Okay."

William gets up and hops onto Rick's board, but he doesn't notice. "Hey Rick, you seem a little distracted."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ever since Aelita was captured, you seemed…off in your world a little."

"Look, I'm just a little worried about Aelita."

"And there's the problem. Your mind is on Aelita. At some point, you need to focus on the battle and your surroundings. Without you, we're not going to survive long."

Rick ponders on his words, and William yells, "Look out!"

The teen looks up and sees a large outcropping coming toward them. He dodges around it, almost crashing into it. William tries to calm down, saying, "Don't you remember what I said about focusing about your surroundings?"

"Sorry."

Ulrich asks, "Rick, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Okay."

They stop at open air, waiting for Jeremie to open the doors. The doors appear, and open up to reveal hell. William's mouth drops and Ulrich says, "William, welcome to Mangorian."

"This place looks like-"

"Yeah, Hell. Odd already said so."

The warriors fly through the doors, and stop by the buildings. Rick says, "Jeremie, can you pinpoint Aelita's location?"

"Already on it." He scans through the whole area once, trice, three times before saying, "I can't find her."

"What?"

"Rick calm down." William said.

"How can I calm down? Somewhere in this huge place is Aelita probably being tortured right now."

Ulrich says, "Rick, you're over exaggerating. I'm pretty sure Mangor isn't that cruel."

"You sure?"

"You're right. He can be cruel."

"Ulrich, you're not helping him calm down." said Yumi.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry. I have a faint signal coming from the tower. I can't pinpoint an exact location, so you will just have to look all around it." Jeremie said.

"Okay. Sounds easy." said William.

Rick says, "You don't know how dangerous that tower can be."

Ulrich says, "Let's go over a plan. Alex, you and Yumi will check all the bottom floors. Look for any secret passages that you can find, and William, me, and Rick will check-" He turns around, but doesn't see the ninja. "Where's Rick?"

They look around, but don't see him. Alex looks over the building and sees Rick running over the buildings. "Found him."

They look over, and Ulrich says, "Man, does he want Aelita back. A sure sign he loves her."

"You got that right." Yumi said. They follow him to the tall tower, a very daunting sight passing. Ulrich sees a black blur forming behind the ninja, and says, "He's using his super sprint."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Yumi said. "Go after him."

"Super sprint!" Ulrich speeds away from the group, and tries to catch up to Rick. He vanishes, and Ulrich yells, "Rick, where are you?"

He is suddenly grabbed and pulled behind a building. "Shh! You want us to get caught?" whispered Rick.

"Next time, wait for us to plan our search."

"Kinda in the middle of rescuing."

"Would you just be patient? We'll get her out, but it wouldn't matter if we get caught."

The ninja sighs. "Fine. So what are we going to do?"

"The girls will check downstairs, and we'll check upstairs with William."

"Fine. Now can we go?" asked Rick.

"Yes." They continue running, the girls right behind them. Soon, they stop next to the base of the tower, and Rick helps them up through the window. The warriors split up, checking every nook in the hallways. The girls head downstairs, and Yumi asks Alex, "So, how is your life in the real world?"

"Everything is awesome, including the language. Although the food isn't as good as I thought it would be."

"That's because you've been eating Rosa's food. Remind me to take you to a fast food restaurant."

"What's that?"

"You'll find out. By the way, you've been spending a lot of time with Jeremie."

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, that's because we've been working on the super weapon."

"C'mon. There is no way you can work on that thing twenty four seven."

"Well, okay. We have been having some alone time together, working on homework, thinking of some new projects, and…planning."

"Planning what?" Yumi asked smiling.

"Uh…I don't really want to talk about it."

"You're bonding with Jeremie."

Alex scoffs, then says, "We are not bonding."

"_Alex and Jeremie sitting in a tree, K-I-S-_" sang Yumi.

"I'm not afraid to punch your lights out."

Yumi shuts her mouth. They continue searching rooms, but not finding anything. Except lots of gold. Yumi opens another door, finding more gold, and asks, "Why does Mangor have so much gold?"

"Don't ask me."

"Hey, I think this room looks legit." Yumi opens the door wider, and the girls enter it. Finding it gold-free, they walk through the dark hallway. Yumi takes out one of her fans and open it, spilling out some light. "Do you have anything brighter?"

"I think it's best if we go in the dark. We don't know what's in store for us."

"Good point." The Japanese puts away her fan. They continue walking, and Yumi asks, "When is this going to end?"

"Look out!" Alex quickly grabs Yumi's dress, stopping her from falling. She looks down and sees boiling lava at the bottom. She quickly backs up, running into the human program. The Japanese helps her up, and says, "Thanks."

"No problem."

Yumi examines the room, and asks, "how are we gonna get to the other side? It's about a hundred feet away."

"How about some Manta's?" suggested Alex.

"Okay."

Alex snaps her fingers, and one Manta materializes. They hop on it, and the Manta flies through the air. When they get to the other end, Yumi and Alex hop off the robot. "Well, looks like this is going to be easy." said Yumi.

Suddenly, a beam flies past their head, and the warriors turn to see three Sharks running toward them. Alex says, "You had to jinx us."

They ready their weapons, and charge toward the robots.

* * *

Rick, William, and Ulrich check the hundredth room, finding it empty again. Frustrated, Rick slams the door, and Ulrich asks, "You might want to slam that louder. I don't think Mangor heard that."

"Sorry, I'm just a little worried."

"About Aelita?"

"Yeah. Aren't you?"

"Yes, just not as much as you, apparently."

William opens a door, finding it dark. "I think I found something. Help me find a light switch."

"Are you sure that's smart?"

"Relax. What's the worst that could appear?" He finds the switch, and turns it on to find a scary sight. "Whoa. You should see this."

Ulrich and Rick enter the room and see two containers. "What are these?" asked Ulrich.

"I don't know, but this one scares me." Rick points to the furry person. The samurai walks to the empty one and asks, "Is this one supposed to be empty?"

The ninja looks closer at the label, which reads, "Nosferatu 9413. What's a Nosferatu?"

"I don't know. But I think I found some soda." Ulrich picks up a flask and was about to take a sip when William says, "That's not soda. That's poison."

The samurai's eyes widen, and put the flask back. "How do you know?"

"There was a skull and crossbones on the label as well as the word 'poison'."

They walk to the ninja and looks at the nameplate. William asks, "So what's Nosferatu?"

"The name sounds familiar, but I can't remember what it is."

Ulrich looks at the furry guy's plate, and says, "This one is 'Lycanthrope 1190'. Does that ring a bell?"

"Actually, that does. That's the scientific name for werewolf."

Ulrich looks at him confused. "Where did you learn that? I'm sure Ms. Hertz didn't talk about fantasy."

"Actually, I learned that in the library. I was a little interested into those mythological creatures, mostly werewolves and vampires. That's it!"

The William drops the flask out of surprise. "That's what?"

"Nosferatu is vampire!"

"Really?" asked Ulrich.

"Yes. I'm sure." Rick looks at the spilt stuff, then asks, "What was that?"

"I have no idea." William said. "So if Mangor has a werewolf, then where's the vampire?"

Rick hesitates. "I think we need to be more cautious."

"You got that right. Now let's get out. He could still be in here."

They run out, and Rick closes the door. "Whew. Let's not go back in there."

They head upstairs, checking every room. One time, they found a room with a party in it. William starts to dance, but Rick slaps his arm, and they close the door quietly. One time, they opened a door and found a tub, a sink, and Shark on a toilet. "Do you mind?"

"Sorry." Rick closes the door, and the two run away. "I think I was scarred for life." Ulrich said.

"Oh, I think there will be other scarring moments." They continue searching room to room. They find gold, a library, gold, bedroom, gold, more party rooms, and more gold. As they search the different rooms, Rick can't stop thinking of Aelita. They keep climbing until they come to the top floor, where the throne room is. Ulrich says, "This place sure brings back bad memories."

"I know. I can still feel the pain when Odd sacrificed himself."

The warriors check every single place, behind the drawers and even underneath the throne, Rick and Ulrich having trouble carrying it a centimeter off the floor. William pants, "Man. Mangor has one…heavy…chair."

"I think I broke my back." Rick bends his back, making it crack. "Where could Aelita be?"

"I don't know. I wonder if the girls are having better luck than us." Ulrich leans on part of the wall, and falls through it. Rick and William run to him and see a stairway heading downstairs. The two can still hear Ulrich falling down the stairs. When it stops, Rick yells, "Are you alright?"

"I fell down about fifty stairs and landed on my head. Does that sound like I'm alright?"

"Sorry I asked." Rick said more quiet. They walk downstairs, and find Ulrich getting up from the bottom. "Ow. Why couldn't you find the secret stairway?"

"Because I'm not as lucky as you." he said sarcastically. They walk down the hallway, looking for any entrances. They find more stairs heading deeper, into total darkness. The teens try to look through the veil of shadow, but couldn't see one foot into it. One time, William tries to turn, but finds his face against the wall. He grumbles the rest of the way, rubbing his head, Rick laughing his head off. The warriors continue walking through the shadow until they see a faint light. Rick starts to run, followed by the two others, until they come to the light. The ninja blinks a little, and looks around to see wooden doors. "Do you think…?"

Ulrich asks, "That these are the dungeon and Aelita could be in one of them? Yes."

"Yeah. You two take the left side, I'll take the right." Rick checks all the unlocked doors, Ulrich and William checking the left doors. When the ninja hits a locked door, he puts his sword in the lock and jiggles around it until it snaps open. One time, he opens a door and sees a family in rags. Rick checks around, and says, "C'mon. Get going."

They run out, and Rick keeps checking the doors. At the end, he finds a large door with double locks and, feeling lucky, tries to unlock it. The ninja unlocks one and tries to pick the other one, but gets frustrated. "Ulrich, get over here!"

He runs to him and asks, "What is it?"

"Help me unlock this thing." He inserts his blade back in, and Ulrich puts his sword on the other side. The warrior walks to them and says, "I could have broken that lock." After a while, the lock falls to the ground, and they open the door. Rick searches in the dark, and takes out his blade. It let out a faint glow, and the ninja sees a faint pink color in the corner. "Aelita?"

"Rick, is that you?" the pink moves a little, and Rick can see Aelita's face, cut from something sharp. He runs to her and helps her up. "Are you okay?"

Ulrich heads inside and sees Aelita. "Wow. I guess Mangor isn't that cruel."

"Are you kidding me?" yelled the girl. "He lashed at me like a starving viper to a mouse. I can barely stand." She tries to take a step, but falls. Rick catches her, and carries Aelita out of the room. She puts a hand in front of her eyes, Ulrich following him. He asks, "Aelita, do you know you're still wearing your clothes?"

"Yes."

"How is that possible?"

Rick says, "Mangor captured her in our world. Not in Lyoko."

"Oh. So how are we going to contact the girls?"

"Don't worry. I'll tell them now. You guys get out of there before Mangor finds you." Jeremie said.

The Lyoko warriors stop, their eyes widening. Rick says, "Jeremie, it's a little too late for that."

Mangor smiles at them at the entrance of the stairs. "Well, looks like it took a shorter time to rescue her. I thought that I would have to put arrows up."

Aelita tightens her grip on Rick, and he asks, "You wanted me to come here, didn't you?"

"Of course. I knew that capturing this girl would get you here. Now I can have my prize."

"And what would that prize be?"

"Watching you take your last breath."

The ninja growls, then gives Aelita to Ulrich. "Get her out of here. I'll take care of the monster."

"I'm not leaving you here." said Aelita.

"Go!" Rick unsheathes his sword, and charges Mangor. Ulrich uses his super sprint and jumps over the Sharks, and William follows. They give chase while Mangor and Rick spar each other. Mangor swings his giant sword, and Rick ducks. The blade digs into the wooden door, but he takes it out and charges again. The ninja swings his sword, cutting across his Mangor's face. Rick laughs, but Mangor punches him through the wall.

Meanwhile, Ulrich runs across the top floor and heads for the stairs, the other warrior having trouble to catch up, and the Sharks shoot at them. They dodge them, and heads for the entrance, but more Sharks and a Supertank block the door. The samurai stops, then turns toward the basement stairs. William yells, "Ulrich, wait up!" The robots give chase, some tripping over the stairs, and Ulrich sees a big drop. He quickly stops, and says, "Get on my back."

"What are you thinking of?"

"Something Rick would do."

She gulps, and gets on the samurai's back. Ulrich uses his super sprint again, gathering speed, and jumps over the gap. Aelita tightens her grip as they start falling. Ulrich's speed wasn't enough, and he grabs the edge of the other floor. The sudden motion makes the pink-haired girl lose her grip. She starts falling, but Ulrich quickly grabs her hand. "You're not leaving Rick that easily."

She looks down and sees boiling lava below. Aelita's eyes widen, and grab the samurai's hand with both of hers. Ulrich looks up and sees his grip starting to lose grip. _Oh no._ His hand slips, and falls toward the molten rock, when Yumi quickly grabs him. "You're not leaving me that easily, are you?"

She pulls Ulrich up, and helps Aelita to the floor. "Aelita, are you okay?"

"Just a little weak."

William jumps and hovers with his sword. He wobbles a little, then lands next to Ulrich. "Wow. That is some wicked powers."

"Where's Rick?"

Her question is answered when Rick flies through the wall and land onto Ulrich. "Really? Why is it always me?"

"Don't ask me. Ask fate." said Rick. He gets up, and looks around, and checks down the hole. "When does he have lava?"

A beam flies, and the ninja turns to see Krabs. Alex jumps from behind and takes out one Krab. William swings Zweihander and a beam flies toward the second one, and Yumi throws her fan at it, and together it destroyed to robot. Rick runs to the last Krab and kicks it over the edge. He watches the robot fall into the lava. The ninja is surprised when the Super Krab just falls through the molten rock instead of slowing and melting. Listening carefully, Rick hears a faint crash, and he smiles. Alex says, "It's a dead end over there. The only exit is back over there."

Rick jumps down and digs his blade into the wall before he falls into the fiery pit. Aelita yells, "Rick, are you mad?" Everyone runs to the edge and watches Rick stretch his hand. Ulrich says, "You're going to burn your hand!"

"I don't think so." whispered Rick. He falls a little lower, and places his hand below the lava. Underneath, he feels empty air, and says, "Nice try Mangor." He looks back up and yells, "Guys, it's just an illusion!"

"What?" asked Ulrich.

Rick adjusts his sword so he falls a little, passing the lava delusion. The warriors' eyes widen, and Rick shouts, "What are you waiting for?"

Aelita jumps on Ulrich's back and he follows the ninja, while Alex and Yumi hop on a Manta and William floats down. Aelita flinches when she passes the lava, but finds it as soft and cool as fog. She looks down and sees Rick at the bottom. When everyone is on the ground, they all head down the hall, and finds a door. The ninja opens it, and finds a whole arsenal filled with pieces of Supertanks, Super Krabs, Spikrelats, Rays, and Sharks. He also sees a bunch of vehicles. "Looks like we hit the mother lode. I call the Motorbike." Rick runs to the bike, Ulrich picks the puts Aelita in the back of the bike and hops in the car, and Yumi, William, and Alex take the hoverbus. William takes the driver's seat, and starts it up. Rick and Ulrich start their rides, and the ninja throws a star to the release button. The doors open, and Rick revs his motorcycle. "Better hang on Aelita."

An arrow embeds itself into the wall next to the ninja, and he says, "Why does that always come close to my head? Seriously, I am getting tired of that."

Aelita turns her head and sees an army of Sharks. "Could we get going now?"

Rick speeds the cycle and they shoot through the doors. Ulrich follows him and William pursues. The Sharks shoot at them, but the ninja presses a button and a metal disk appears at the handle. He grabs it and throws at the robots. The disk spins through the air and slashes through five Sharks.

The warriors ride through the town, splitting up and regrouping. One time, Rick rode on a ramp and landed on the roofs of the houses. Aelita hugs him tighter as he drives with a risk. Rick turns and asks, "Aren't you having fun?"

"No. Not really."

He presses another button and a mini robots pops up and flies to the army. It starts shooting, really annoying the robots and slowing them down. Yumi yells, "There's the door!" They head for the exit, but soon two Basilisks drop from the sky and hisses at them, barricading the door. The ninja swerves the motorbike, and two warrior drivers stop. The snakes load their guns, and William asks, "No what?"

Rick looks around, and sees a small latch next to the first building. He checks his pocket and finds one smoke bomb and five small bombs. Ulrich says, "Rick, I'm still all ears."

"I'm thinking up a plan." He turns around and sees Mangor riding a Krab. "So, you figured out my illusion. I'm impressed. Now, time to meet your maker, Richard."

Rick gets off his bike and helps Aelita off. The others stand next to him, and Ulrich asks, "Anything?"

"Just follow my lead." he whispered. "So, you think you're going to kill me today? Well, you should have learned by now that I am hard to die."

Mangor's smile fades, and says, "True. But I have it all figured out. I block your only exit, and surround you from behind."

The ninja grins. "Well, your plan has a sort of flaw." He throws his bombs at the Basilisk and throws his smoke bomb on the ground. He drags Aelita with him, and the other warriors follow him. The ninja picks up the cover and throws it toward the monster in the smoke. It bangs on his head, making him fall. "C'mon." said Rick. He helps the pink-haired teen down, and the warriors follow. Rick drops to the bottom, and flinches. "Longer drop then I thought." He clutches his feet, then walks to the lead. "Hopefully this lead away from the army."

They start walking down the sewer, waiting to get out of the place.

* * *

**Please R&R. I would really appreciate it if you do. I'll get more inspiration to write more stories if you R&R.**


	15. Chapter 15: Tranquility

**Chapter 15: Tranquility**

The Lyoko warriors run through Mangorian's sewer, looking for an exit. They turn a corner, and suddenly the ground quakes. Yumi asks, "What was that?"

"I hope that was Basilisk landing on the ground above us." said Rick.

"Those giant snakes are Basilisk? Then how come I'm not dead?" William asked.

"Because They're not really Basilisk that has the death stare. They do have artillery."

He sees a light, and says, "I think I found an exit." He climbs up and moves the manhole cover and checks for robots. "All clear."

He helps the others up and the ninja jumps on the roof. Rick looks around, but doesn't see the door. "Did we take a wrong turn?"

"Uh, Rick, you're looking at the wrong direction." said William. Rick turns and sees the huge doors. "Oh." He jumps down and says, "Looks like it's not blocked by Basilisk. Let's go." Then, another quake appears, shaking the whole place. It last longer than the other one, then stops. Rick says, "Okay, that was not the Basilisk. Let's get out of here before something bad happens." They run toward the door, dodging cans, boxes, and buildings. The warriors stop and the door and Rick open it, and motion them out. Jeremie types and the vehicles materialize. Ulrich hops on his Overbike, Yumi and Aelita on the Overwing, and William and Alex on Manta's. Rick was about to jump on his Hoverboard when something grabs his shirt and throws him to a wall. Mangor growls, "So smart to take the sewer, but not smart enough."

Aelita jumps back in the world and Yumi yells, "Aelita, what are you doing?"

Ulrich looks at his scabbard and finds it empty. "Wait, where's my katana?"

Mangor says, "Now I will destroy you once and for all!" He raises his sword and was about to kill Rick when Aelita runs in front of the monster and stabs him with Ulrich's katana. Mangor looks down at the sword in his stomach. He shakes his head, then says, "I might be vanquished on your world, but here I am invincible." He swings his sword toward her, but Rick pushes her out of the way and blocks the blade with his. "You need to be faster than that."

The monster takes the katana out of his stomach and throws it away, heading towards Aelita's head. Before it digs into her head, Ulrich grabs the handle, stopping it. "Don't do that again, okay?"

"Sorry, but like this, I don't have any powers." Aelita said. A sword digs into the wall next to the girl's head, and looks to see Rick dodging Mangor's blade. "There's a weapon for you." Rick said.

Aelita takes the blade out of the wall, and runs to the battle. Rick says, "That doesn't mean you can run into battle!"

The pink-haired girl swings the sword, but Mangor blocks it and punches her in the face. She stumbles back, and the monster returns to the ninja. He dodges and quickly unsheathes his sword, then swings. Rick cuts across Mangor's chest, and was about to behead him when Mangor grabs his arm and squeezes, making Rick drop his sword. The monster was about to break the ninja's wrist when Aelita slashes his back. Mangor turns around, and throws Rick toward Ulrich, landing on him. He walks to the teen girl, and Aelita tries to keep a straight face, but fear takes hold. "Do you ever learn that here, it's hard to destroy me. So give up."

"N-never." Aelita stuttered, pointing the sword at Mangor. He pushes it away with his sword, and says, "Bad answer." He raises his sword, and swings at the girl when Yumi blocks it with her fans. She twirls and swings her fans at the monster, and he blocks them. "You think fans will stop me?"

"Maybe. Couldn't hurt to try." She throws her fans, but Mangor blocks them and they head off course. He swings, and Yumi ducks out of the way. The blade cuts through a pipe and smoke billows out. It washes over the monster, and floats across the land. The warriors carefully walk around, making sure Mangor doesn't surprise them. Ulrich and William back up, and ran into each other. They jump and face each other, but see each other. They continue walking around, and Rick swings across the smoke, but doesn't slash through Mangor. "Aelita, where are you?"

Yumi walks through a billow of smokes, and smashes on a wall. She rubs her head, and she hears something from behind. The smoke clears and she turns and sees Mangor smiling. "Surprise." Yumi gasp as the blade digs into her stomach. Ulrich turns and sees his girlfriend slowly falling down, clutching the sword. "Yumi!"

Rick turns and his eyes widen when he sees Yumi. Anger boils inside of him, and the ninja runs toward Mangor. He turns and gets punched in the face. "I have had it with you!" As Rick beats the living daylights out of Mangor, Ulrich runs to Yumi. "Yumi, please stay with me." He quickly takes the sword out, making the Chinese girl gasp. "You're going to be okay. Don't worry. We're gonna get you out of here."

Rick grabs Mangor's wrist and twirls him around, and throws the monster into a wall, making it crumble. He gets up from the destruction and says, "No matter how much pain I am, I will rise up."

"I don't think so. You already killed two of my friends. Your destruction ends here."

Mangor smiles. "I don't think so." He yells into the air, and Spikrelats, Super Krabs, Supertanks, Sharks, Rays, and Basilisk falls from the sky. Rick's eyes widen, then turn and run away.

Yumi's eyes start to droop, and Ulrich says, "No, don't leave me." He raises her head as it starts to drop. "Yumi, everything's going to be okay, just don't leave me."

Her eyes fall, and Ulrich starts to cry. "No, please don't leave me. You're everything that I have. You can't leave me alone."

Rick Runs to him and says, "Ulrich, C'mon. We have to go." He tries to pull him away, but Ulrich pulls away. "No. I'm not leaving her."

"Ulrich there's nothing we can do about her, she's gone. And if we don't get going, we're gonna be gone."

"If it means seeing Yumi again, I don't care."

Rick looks at William and a silent agreement happens between them. They grab the samurai and pull him away. He struggles, but the two have an iron grip. Ulrich yells, "Let me go!"

"This is for your own good." They run to the exit, and Rick says, "Alex, do you have anything to keep lover boy here from running back to his doom?"

"I am not leaving this place without Yumi!"

The ninja shakes his head, then says, "I'm sorry for this." Rick bangs his head with the butt of his sword, and Ulrich falls down unconscious. William jumps onto the Overwing, and Rick puts the unconscious boy on it. He hops on his board, and Aelita joins. The ninja looks behind and sees lots of rays heading for them. Dodging, he says, "Let's get out of here!"

They fly off, and some robots fall off the edge. They keep shooting as the warriors devirtualize back to Earth.

* * *

**The next day…**

Rick walks out of his room, rubbing his head. Aelita walks to him and asks, "Is there something wrong Rick?"

"Last night was a nightmare. Because of yesterday's events, I couldn't sleep a wink."

"I had some trouble sleeping, too. One time, I woke up screaming, thinking Mangor killed…another friend."

"Problem is, I think he won't stop until we're all dead."

They walk for a while, then Aelita asks, "How's Ulrich doing? Did he calm down from Yumi's death?"

"Let's check." The two walk to Ulrich's room, and they run into Odd. Rick says, "Hey Odd. How's Ulrich?"

"Not doing so well. He cried all night, keeping me awake. I hope he gets better soon." Odd said.

"That probably won't be awhile. He is really devastated by the loss of Yumi."

"Yumi died? No wonder he was crying."

Aelita asks, "No one told you?"

"Yeah. Just because I'm a clone, doesn't mean I'm not human." Odd said.

"Technically, you're not." said Rick.

Aelita said, "We better get to class before we're late."

"She's right. See ya Odd."

"Bye." They head for their class, and Rick passes Ulrich's room. Rick stops and listens on the door. He hears crying, and says, "Yep. Still sad over Yumi." The two continue walking to their science class. They cross the grounds, which are still covered in craters from the battle. When the teens get to their class, they find it empty. Rick looks around, and says, "Hello? Mrs. Hertz?"

She jumps from behind the desk and yells, "Get back you robots! I am not afraid to use this!" She swings around a weird gun, and Rick raises his hand. "Mrs. Hertz, it's just us."

"Oh, Mr. Vandelez. Ms. Stones, what are you doing here?"

"It's Thursday."

Aelita says, "And this is our first class today."

"Didn't you get the memo?"

"What memo?" asked Rick.

The teacher puts her gun away, and says, "All classes are canceled until Mr. Delmas feels safe to come out of his office."

"So, no classes for we don't know how long."

"That's correct."

"Okay. I guess we'll see you later." Rick and Aelita walk away and head back to their dorms. Aelita asks, "So what are you going to do?"

"Figure out how to destroy Mangor once and for all."

"Oh." She looks down at her feet. "Well, I thought that we could hang out for a while."

They stop in the hallway, and Rick asks, "Uh, hang out where?"

"I was thinking of watching a movie at the theaters."

"Like what movie? Romantic, horror, adventure, action?"

"All of the above?"

"They make those kinds of movies?" asked Rick.

"I don't know. Why don't we go to the theaters and look at the different movies?"

"Uh, are you asking me on a date?"

"No! No, I just thought that we could have a break from all this…craziness."

Rick thinks it over, then says, "Yeah, I wouldn't mind that. I'll see you later."

"Great. Bye." Aelita walks to her dorm, and Rick enters his. When he enters his room, someone says, "What are you doing this afternoon?"

Rick quickly turns and sees Jeremie in his room. "Jeremie, uhh, to answer your question, I'm going to the movies."

"And what about our little problem?"

"Well every once in a while, I want to take a break." He then whispers, "Unlike you, apparently."

"I heard that."

Rick drops his bag on his bed, and Jeremie rolls to him. "I know you're tired, but we really need to find a solution for our problem before Mangor kills someone else."

"Well if it's so important, why don't you find the solution with Alex?"

"Because you're the only one with the knowledge of Mangorian."

"Not as much as my dad. He was the one who shut down the program. I only know how to keep him at bay and to upgrade."

"Okay, but with our knowledge we can figure out how to destroy Mangor once and for all."

Rick sighs, then says, "I'm just going to the movies. A little break won't kill." He starts to exit, and Jeremie says, "That's what Aelita said."

The teen walks away from his room, and sees Ulrich exiting his. "Hey Ulrich, You okay?"

"A little better. I just came out to get some fresh air. What about you? Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?"

"The principal canceled all classes. I'm going to the movies with Aelita."

"Finally going on your date?" asked Ulrich, smiling for the first time.

"No. We're just going to get a break."

"Okay, whatever you say. But if Aelita either leans on your shoulder or hide toward you, I think she really likes you."

"Okay. See ya later." Rick heads outside, enjoying the morning aroma.

* * *

**Couple hours later…**

Aelita reads her book, _Moon Fang_, when Sissi enters her room. "Hey girlfriend, what are you doing?"

"Reading a book."

"That's it? Why not do something with Rick, like go to dinner, or have a picnic at night."

The teen puts her book down and says, "Actually, me and Rick are going to the movies later."

"Starting small, I see." Sissi said. "Well, let me give you some girl advice."

"Uh, I don't need any advice."

"Sure you do. Also, I want to touch your looks a little bit."

"Really? We're just going to the theaters."

"C'mon. You'll really appreciate it later."

Aelita sighs, then says, "Alright."

"Great. Let's go in my room." The two exit, and head for Sissi's room. The girl opens the door, letting Aelita enter. Sissi closes it, then says, "Take a seat next to my mirror." She sits, and then Sissi says, "Now, let's see what we can do about those split ends." Grabbing her brush, she turns on her MP3 and starts combing the pink hair. Sissi works her magic with curler, water spray, and brush. At the end, Sissi puts the curler down, and says, "All done."

Sissi turns the chair around, showing Aelita her hairdo. "You look beautiful."

A dark red headband sits on Aelita's head, keeping her hair out of her eyes, which have fallen down to her neck. Her hair is curled a little at the edges, and some hair hangs close to her left eye. Both have black eyeliner around them, and is wearing soft pink lipstick. Aelita twist her head to get a better look. "Isn't this a little…too much for a movie?"

Sissi examines her hair, then says, "You're right." She takes out the band and combs her bangs to the right. "Better."

Aelita says, "What I'm saying is this is for a date at an expensive restaurant, not going to the movies with a friend."

"C'mon. I think it looks fabulous."

The teen gets up and turns to Sissi. "How long did this take?"

The fashion teen looks at her clock and says, "About an hour."

"It takes an hour to comb hair?"

"Style does take time. I mean look at me. Do you think this takes a couple of minutes?"

Someone knocks on Sissi's door, and Sissi stumbles the controller for her music player. "Who is it?"

"This is Rick. Is Aelita in there?"

"Yes. Are you ready for your date?"

"It's not a date!" yelled Rick and Aelita together. Sissi raises her hands in surrender. Rick asks, "Can I come in?"

"Just wait a while. She'll come right out after I give her a few pointers."

"Is that really necessarily? We're just going to find a movie."

"Fine. She'll come out in a sec." Sissi turns to Aelita and says, "Okay. When you're on your da-movie-"

"There's no need for any advice, okay?" Aelita interrupts.

"Okay, if you want to go blind." The fashion girl steps away, and Aelita opens the door to find Rick leaning against the wall. He looks up and says, "Hey Aelita, you ready for-whoa." His eyes widen as he looks at her. "A lot of makeup for a movie."

"This was Sissi's idea."

She walks out and says, "And Odd thinks I don't have talent."

"Well, it's a little…much, but the hairdo is cute."

"Uhh, thanks." Said Aelita, moving some hair out of her eye.

Ulrich walks up and asks, "Rick, do you know a good thing to calm my-" He looks up and sees Aelita. "Whoa! What happened to you?"

"Some eyeliner and lipstick."

The boy blinks a couple of times, then says, "Okay. No offense, but somehow I could never picture that."

"It was going to come one way or another, Ulrich." Sissi said.

"If you excuse us, we'll be late for a movie." He grabs Aelita's hand and walks out. She blushes a little, and Ulrich says, "Have fun on your movie!"

They watch them for a while, then Ulrich says, "Watching those two lovebirds, Makes me want to cry." He starts tearing up, and Sissi comforts him. "What's wrong? Is it really that great?"

"Well yeah, but they remind me so much of me and…Yumi!" Ulrich starts crying on her shoulder, and she pats his head, uncertain of what to do. Tamiya walks out and sees the two. Sissi mouths, "_He's in distress._"

The sixth grader walks back in her room, and Sissi says, "You know Ulrich; there is a way to relieve your stress."

"And what would that be?" he whined.

"Some Yoga. A way to relax your body and soul. It will get your mind away from…your girl."

"Will that really help?"

"Yes." She drags him toward the gym, and whispers to herself, "I hope so."

* * *

Aelita and Rick walk to the theaters. When they get there, the two teens look at the movies. Aelita points to one and says, "How about this? _War of All Worlds_."

"No. that just reminds me of the end of the world." He walks toward one poster and says, "This sounds good. _Night of all Myths. _And it looks like there's going to be werewolves, zombies, vampires,-"

"Vampires?" asked Aelita, backing up. Rick sees her and asks, "Do you have a fear of vampires?"

"Not really. It's just I had a run in with something like them. It really freaked me out."

"Okay, but don't worry. There are lots of other monsters fighting with the humans. Now that sounds like a thrill."

"I guess it does sound cool."

"Don't worry. I'll be here if you get scared."

Aelita smiles a little, then says, "Okay." She heard a rustle, and turns to see a bush. She raises an eyebrow in confusion, then follows Rick to the counter.

When they get their tickets, Rick tells Aelita to find some seats, and he buys some popcorn and soda, along with candy. Rick walks into the dark room and finds some people already sitting. He finds Aelita in the middle, and walks to her. The teen hands her the popcorn and puts the soda in the holder. Soon, the room darkens as the movie starts.

First the previews popped up, showing restaurants, new phones, and men trying to sell houses. The movie starts, showing the boring and calm main characters. Rick started to doze off when the first monster appeared. Soon, all the action surfaces. Small battles begin, and frightening scenes pop everywhere. One time, a vampire falls off the ceiling and attacks a victim, scaring Aelita. She hides her face on Rick's chest. When the scene calms, Rick tells her it's over. The big clash begins, and Rick leans closer, Aelita covering her face, keeping one eye open.

* * *

In the gym, Sissi meditates with both legs behind her back. "Don't you feel all the anger and stress leaving your body into the ground?"

"No!" said Ulrich, whose face is full of pain, his legs behind his head. "All I'm feeling right now is fiery pain! Isn't this supposed to be advance yoga?"

The fashion teen looks and sees Ulrich falling. She sighs and unlatches her legs, then walks to Ulrich. Sissi gets his legs back to its original place. The teen groans and says, "Much better. And by the way, I'm feeling even more stressed than before."

"Maybe I should tone it down."

The boy raises his head and asks, "Ya think?"

"Okay, so let's start with a simple stretch." She bends down and touches her feet. Ulrich gets up and says, "Sure, I can do that."

"What do you think you're doing?"

The two look up and see Jim walking toward them. "Aren't you two supposed to be in class?"

Sissi said, "We were told that class was all canceled."

"Really?" he asked, rubbing his head. "You sure it isn't a joke?"

"No. Rick told us that Mrs. Hertz said so." Ulrich said. "Wasn't there a sign in the teachers' lounge?"

"I don't really go there much. I guess that would explain why my class wasn't there. So who said all classes were canceled?"

"My dad." said Sissi.

"Oh. Well, I guess I'll leave you two to your yoga." He walks out and Sissi returns to her lesson. While stretching and meditating sitting and standing, Ulrich says, "I'd rather have this than see another one of Mangor's monsters."

"I wonder how the two lovebirds are doing."

Sissi looks at Ulrich and sees tears running down. "Sorry. Let's try more of the crane."


	16. Chapter 16: The Storm

**Chapter 16: The Storm**

In Mangorian, inside the tower, Mangor paces across his floor while a robot scribe writes down Mangor's words. Sharks and some soldiers' wait by the door, waiting for orders and to have a quick escape in case the monster goes in a rage. Mangor recalls his events, "I have destroyed two of those _pathetic_ warriors, and if this pace keeps up, I'll destroy all of them by…" He calculates in his head. "…three month."

"A remarkable pace for destroying the brave and powerful Lyoko warriors." said the scribe. Mangor turns and grabs his neck. "Take that back." He whispered.

"S-s-sorry m-master. It w-will ne-ver happen a-gain." He choked.

The monster lets go of the scribe's neck. He writes down what happened, and Mangor continues pacing. "I would have destroyed them sooner and take over the world, but _Richard _kept foiling my plans and saving everyone. I need to figure out how to destroy him first…" The monster facepalms himself. "Why didn't I think of it sooner? If I just got rid of him or simply _capture_ him, I could have finished my plans." He looks at his soldiers and asks, "Any ideas?"

They murmur among themselves and shuffle around, nervous. Mangor looks confused at them. "Is something wrong?"

"One soldier, the captain, steps up and says, "Sir, you never ask us for ideas. You always tell us to capture someone or make sure the citizens stay in your order."

"I do?" Mangor asked sarcastically.

"Uh, yes sir."

Mangor smiles. "Well, today I'm being generous. So, do any of you have scheme for those miscreants?"

They look at each other, then one soldier says, "Take their weakness and use against them."

"I tried that against Richard, but he still foiled it."

"Full-on battle in the real world?" suggested another.

"Remember the time I unleashed the Basilisk?"

"Oh."

The right-hand man asks, "How about lure Richard into a trap?"

"Now that…is a good idea that I thought of."

"Uh, sir, I thought of the plan." The soldier said.

Mangor stares at him, then walks to the right-hand. The soldier sweats and the others back up quickly. The monster smiles, then stabs the soldier in the stomach. He gasps, then falls down on the floor, dead. Everyone stares at the dead man, the scribe writes it down. Mangor wipes the blood on his desk and says, "Now, you," He points to one shark. "tell the Tanks to send a small squad to one of the towers I activate. When Richard tries to deactivate the tower, I shall trap him in that tower. No. He can just take a different tower." He continues pacing, then thinks of another plan. "Battle him one-on-one."

"But didn't you already did that?" asked one soldier.

"Yes, but not in my ultimate form." Mangor smiled wickedly. "Of course, I'm going to have to keep him busy so he doesn't know my real plan. What a joy to just think about it."

One soldier, Sain, says, "So you're going to go in the real world, find Rick, and unleash your power on him?"

The monster sighs, then says, "If you weren't the smart mechanic in my works, I would have killed you here."

Sain gulps. He asks, "So how are you going to destroy Rick?"

Mangor's grin widens even more. "Bring my home to his."

"But how are you going to…" his eyes widen. "You're not thinking of…"

"Yes. Is it ready?"

"Uh, I still need some work with the wires and need to find the right amount of energy-"

"It's as simple as yes or no." Mangor said getting impatient.

"It's almost done. Happy?"asked Sain.

He gives the soldier the evil eye, and Sain backs up. Mangor looks at the rest of the soldiers and says, "Send an attack to the humans, again, to tire the warriors down. Will that give you enough time, soldier?"

"Yes sir."

"Alright. Now go and start the attack." The soldiers march out and start the assault.

* * *

Aelita walks through the forest, trying to clear her thoughts. Spending time with Rick alone really made her even more confused of her feelings. She stops and leans against a trunk, hugging herself. The teen watches two squirrels chase each other, and wonder if their love is easier to show.

"Thought I might find you here."

Aelita turns her head around and sees Jeremie wheeling toward her. "What do you mean?"

"You seem attracted to the forest whenever you're in confusion. And that has happened a lot whenever you spent alone with Rick. You're not…"

"Of course not. It's just…whenever we go to a movie or even in the forest with no one, he seems to be holding back something. Of course, I'm doing the same, but whenever I look at him, it just leaves me in uncertainty. No matter how much I try, I can't clear my head."

"You're just in denial. A step in the unpredictable feeling of love."

"I am not falling in-"

"There's the denial."

Aelita stays quiet for a while. Jeremie starts to wheel back, but stops and says, "Here's a tip for you. Tell Rick about your feelings, or else he'll find another girl."

"Now you're starting to sound like Sissi."

"Then she's right." He rolls back to the school, leaving Aelita with her thoughts. She thinks his words over and over, then comes to a conclusion. The teen runs to the school and looks around, trying to find Rick. She checks his dorm, some classes, and around the forest, but doesn't find Rick. Aelita heads across the grounds and finds the teen leaning against a pillar. She smiles and starts running toward him. "Hey Rick…" She falters as the teen sees another girl talking to him. Aelita thinks that she's another student asking something about school, until the two hug. A tear runs down Aelita's face as she watches. The two teens separate and Rick walks away. The pink-haired girl quickly hides behind a pillar as Rick walks past. When he vanishes, Aelita quickly walks back to her dorm and sits on her bed, and starts silently crying.

_I should've made my move earlier _thought Aelita.

* * *

Rick walks to his dorm and runs into Ulrich. "Hey Rick, I here you've got a girlfriend."

"Well, yeah."

"I think I can guess who it is."

Rick says, "It's Tasha."

Ulrich is as quiet as a statue. "I was way off. Isn't Tasha that girl in English and is failing?"

"Yeah." He raises his eyebrow. "She's failing English?"

"That's what I heard. And what about Aelita?"

"I'm sure she's fine." Rick's watch beeps, and he says, "I need to go. I'm meeting Tasha at the store. I'll see you at lunch."

"Okay." Ulrich walks away from Rick and tries to find the teen girl. He looks around and sees Sissi coming out of her second shower. "Hey Sissi, have you seen Aelita somewhere?"

"No. She wasn't in the showers."

"Check her dorm."

The fashion teen gives him a thumbs up and walks to the dorm. She enters her room and starts drying her hair, and put some clothes on. Then, Sissi walks across the hall and opens Aelita's door. She wasn't in there, so the teen continues searching. _If I were Aelita, where would I…Oh, I know!_ Sissi walks to the forest, and stops by the vending machine. She presses a button and takes out the chocolate filled cup. Taking a sip, Sissi makes a sour face and says, "Now I know why Odd hates this stuff." She throws it away and continues walking to the tree covered grounds. Searching around, Sissi checks every tree and bush around the place. The teen sees an abandoned home with the name _Hermitage_ on the gates. _I wonder if she's in there._ She hears a snap behind her, turns and walks toward the sound. Sissi turns around, then looks up and sees the familiar pink hair on top of a branch. "Is that you Aelita?"

"Yes."

"What are you doing up there?"

"Watching the…noon sun."

"Uh huh." Smiling, Sissi grabs on one branch and sits on the second branch, lower than the branch Aelita is on. "Did you hear about Rick and Tasha?"

"Not exactly heard about that. More like seen it." She huffed through clenched teeth, snapping a branch. Sissi chuckles a little, and Aelita looks at her. "What's so funny?"

"You're jealous."

The teen scoffed, then says, "I am not jealous." She squeezes crunches the branch in her hand to pieces. They fall out of her hand, floating into a bush. The fashion teen giggles, then says, "So, how much do you know about Odd?"

"Why?"

"Well, I know you, Ulrich, a little of Yumi, and Rick, but not so much about Odd. He is my friend, right?"

"Uh, yes." said Aelita, a little suspicious.

"So, what interest does he have with girls?"

Aelita laughs, saying, "With Odd, pretty much any girl who is pretty, smart or no."

Sissi twiddles her fingers, then says, "So, do you think he would have found me…cute?"

"The way he jokes around by you, probably not."

"Oh. Okay, I guess I was a jerk, but spending time with all of you…changed me, believe it or not. Besides, we have a new jerk here."

"Ty. He needs a hobby."

"And I mean, Ulrich and Yumi…were together, Rick has Tasha-" Aelita snaps another branch to pieces. Sissi continues, "You are going to get Rick when he breaks up with Tasha, and Jeremie and Alex are starting to get together, and I'm don't have anyone."

"Well, why don't you go and find someone?"

"I've seen all the boys in school and none of them attract me."

"What about William?"

Sissi watches one bird fly around, saying, "I don't know. Maybe but, he just doesn't seem my type."

"Okay. if you excuse me, I'm going to find something else to break to pieces." Aelita swings down the branch and lands on her feet. She was about to walk away when Sissi asks, "Uh, how do you get down?"

The teen turns around and says, "Just grab the branch you're on, and swing down onto a lower branch and jump down."

"Okay." She does what Aelita says, and was about to jump off when she slips on falls on the bush. Aelita covers her mouth, and runs to her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just landed on my butt." The pink-haired teen helps Sissi up, and the two walk back to school.

* * *

At the store, Tasha tries on dresses and showing Rick, who is bored to death.

"How about this dress?" Tasha shows him a ruby red dress. Rick says, "It's beautiful. At a prom."

"I guess it's a little much." She goes back to the dressing room and changes to a sparkling shirt and black tight jeans. "How about this?"

"Won't those pants hurt?"

"Don't worry, Rickalicious."

"Don't call me that."

"But I've been wearing tight jeans since I was seven."

Rick rubs his head in annoyance, saying, "how 'bout we do something else for a change?"

"What's more fun than saying how cute I look in new clothes?"

Suddenly, Rick's watch beeps, and he checks it to see a flashing symbol. "Sorry, but I have to go."

"Go where?" Tasha asked.

"I…need to help Ulrich with his project." He quickly runs back to the school, then takes a turn and heads for the factory. When he gets there, Rick finds everyone already here. Jeremie says, "Good. You're here. Mangor has strike again."

The teen sees Aelita with her arms crossed. "Hey Aelita."

She looks at him, then turns back. Rick looks at her confused, then turns to Jeremie. "Where is it?"

"Two are in the desert sector; three in the ice sector. You will just have to split into two teams."

"Another five?"

"Yeah. Now-"

"Rick and Aelita take the desert; William, Ulrich, and Alex take the ice." Sissi said quickly.

"That's alright with me." Rick said. "Right Aelita?"

She doesn't answer, walking to the elevator. Rick watches her, then asks, "What's buggin' her?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" suggested Sissi.

"I could but she's acting like I'm not even here."

Jeremie says, "Let's go before Mangor-" Suddenly, the whole place rumbles, sending Ulrich, Sissi, and Aelita falling. Rick catches the pink-haired teen, but she pushes him away. Rick makes a question look, then runs to the elevator. Alex and Aelita follow, and Rick presses the button going up. They all run back outside, and see a large storm spreading, sending lighting and thunder around. "This cannot be good." Rick said.

The storm stretches all the way around the city, then it starts raining. Sissi runs out, as well as Ulrich, and she says, "Rain? I thought Mangor would send something more…threatening."

Suddenly, a large thunder sounds, and the rain starts to get more ferocious, pelting everyone with stinging water. Rick yells, "Everyone inside!"

They all run back, and Jeremie asks, "What's the trouble?"

"One huge storm spreading across the whole city."

"How huge?"

"If you spend too long out there, the rain will rip your skin off."

Einstein's mouth drop, then says, "Then get over to Lyoko before someone gets hurt."

The warriors head down to the scanners then Aelita and Rick get virtualized into the desert sector. The other three virtualizes into the ice sector, and Ulrich asks, "So where's our rides?"

"Hold on." Jeremie types a little, and presses the enter button, but a warning sign appears. "C'mon! Sorry guys, but Mangor isn't letting me create your vehicles."

"Guess we'll run." Alex said.

Rick tries to create his board, but doesn't appear. "He's also blocking my board as well."

"Then good luck guys."

In the ice sector, William, Ulrich, and Alex start running across the barren region. The two run over small hills and around some outcroppings, Rick noticing the changes. "That's weird. Does the desert seem different to you Aelita?"

She doesn't answer. Rick rolls his eyes, then asks while climbing over a rocky projection, "Okay, That's it. What's going on Aelita? Ever since we met in the factory, you've been giving me the silent treatment. So spill. What is wrong with you?"

Aelita stays silent for a few more seconds, then says, "Nothing's wrong."

"Right. How come I'm not convinced?"

"I'm fine Richard."

"You are not fine. You've never called me Richard before. I know there's something bugging you and I want to know."

After a while, Aelita says, "It's that girl."

"What girl?"

"That girl you're hanging out with. Tina or something."

"You mean Tasha?"

"Whatever!"

"What's wrong with Tasha?"

"It's just…just…" She looks around, then says, "Look, there's the tower." She starts running toward the glowing tower. Rick shakes his head then follows her, thinking, _What is wrong with her?_

* * *

Back in the lab, Jeremie observes the news as the weatherman talks about the bizarre hurricane, Sissi watching. "Scientists are baffled by the unusual rain. I suggest we all stay inside until this is all over, if it ever stops." He walks into a building where scientists are experimenting with something. "As we speak, the scientists are now working on a machine that they have launched to study the abnormal weather, and are bewildered by the results."

Suddenly, an explosion sounds and the cameraman turns to see humanoid shadow robots enter through a hole in the wall, and start shooting at everyone. The weatherman yells, "What is that? Quick, everyone run for your-" the screen pops a 'stand by' sign, and Jeremie says, "This just keep getting worse and worse."

"You don't think that they'll come here, do you?" Sissi asked. The Einstein looks at her and says, "Hopefully you didn't jinx us."

They here a crash from above, and Jeremie quickly types a lock mechanism, bolting the elevator. "That should stop them."

A pipe falls from the ceiling, and they see the shadows crawling down the wall. Sissi looks around and finds a metal pole. She grabs it and twirls it around. "I think Rick put this here." Sissi runs toward one of the robots and knocks its head off with the pole. The fashion teen sees a button and presses it. A blade comes out one end, and she smiles. Swishing the pole, Sissi knocks out two more robots and stabs a third. Two robots sneak around her and charge Jeremie.

In Lyoko, Ulrich's team hears the commotion and Alex asks, "Jeremie, what's going on?"

"Some robots have gotten into the lab and are now attacking us. Sissi, Look out!"

They hear a crash, and Jeremie continues, "You need to hurry up before someone gets-" He vanishes and Alex yells, "Jeremie, are you okay? Jeremie? Jeremie please answer!" She starts getting distraught, but Ulrich quickly calms her down. "Don't worry Alex. Sissi's there and I know she can take care of herself and Jeremie."

Alex nods then continues walking. Ulrich leans to William and says, "I can't believe I just said that."

"Yeah. Let's go before she falls from worry." They continue running after her, and finds her hiding behind an ice outcropping. Ulrich asks, "What's going-"

"Shhh." She says. "There are a couple of Sharks guarding the tower."

The boys look around the ice and sees that she's right: about four sharks are blocking the black-glow tower. Ulrich says, "Okay, there are three of us and four of them. Just bring one of your monsters and then we can take them on."

"What do you think I've been doing since we got here?" Alex asked.

"Oh."

William says, "I have a suggestion."

The two look at him, then the raven haired teen continues, "Let's use the element of surprise. I will go along that wall," He points to the ice barricade on the left. "and Alex will go along that wall," points to the right. "And Ulrich will go forward and attract the Sharks on my signal. All know the strategy?"

The teens nod, then William says, "Right. Now let's go." The two run in the opposite direction, Ulrich waiting behind the ice block. After a while, Ulrich sees a flash from the left, and walks out from his hiding, alerting Sharks. They get ready to fire, and are surprise to see two of their comrades explode. One asks, "What's going on?" when he gets slashed by the samurai. William and Alex jump off the wall and the three surround the last. William was about to cut him with his Zwiehander but Ulrich blocks it. He looks at the samurai, but he moves his sword and points it at the Shark. "Spill."

"I will never talk, you traitors." the Shark said.

Alex says in a sweet tone, "Look, we can try it the easy way, or my way."

He gulps, then says, "Look, I was made to give an unbreakable oath to keep my mouth shut, but all I can tell you is that Mangor is saving his strength for something big; something that will kill Rick. That's all I can tell you."

"Okay. Now get out of here." Ulrich said. The robot runs out of the cave and jumps down the edge. William asks, "Did he just commit suicide?"

"I don't know, but we should tell Rick what we know."

Alex says, "You two tell him while I shut the tower down." She runs to it, and Ulrich sends a telepathy message to Rick, "_Hey Rick."_

"_Hey Ulrich, what's up?"_ asked Rick.

"_We ran into a shark and made him tell us Mangor's plan."_

"_And what would that be?"_

"_He didn't tell us much, but he says that Mangor is saving his strength for something big that could destroy you."_

"_Then let him bring it. I'm ready for anything."_

"_If you say so. Did you find out why Aelita isn't talking to you?"_

"_She said it has something to do with Tasha. Then she cuts us off by heading for the tower."_

"_Maybe she's jealous."_

"_Jealous of Tasha? Why would she? We're just friends."_

"_If you say so. Well, see ya. We still have two more towers to deactivate." _Ulrich cuts off the link and waits for Alex to catch up. He turns to William and says, "Rick sure is clueless."

"You got that right." William hears a low rumble, and turns to see a darkness floating toward them. "Uh, Ulrich."

He turns and asks, "What?"

"Is that normal here?" he asked, pointing to the growing mass. The samurai looks in the direction and his eyes widen. "No, that is not normal."

When Alex catches up, and asks, "Hey guys, what are you looking…" She falters as her eyes watch the dark cloud. "What is Mangor thinking of?"

"Do you know what that is?"

"No, but I know that if this continues, Lyoko won't stand much longer."

The warriors run away from the cloud, heading for the second tower.


End file.
